Ethnomycological use of Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. and Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.) P. Karst. in Transylvania, Romania

In Transylvania, part of Romania, fungi are traditionally used in the human medicine, handicraft, and several customs for a long time past. This study aimed at systematic collecting of ethnomycological and ethnomedicinal data of Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. and Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.) P. Karst. in Corund in south-eastern Transylvania. In addition, we aimed to compare our data with earlier ethnomycological and pharmacological records of the region and other countries. The fieldwork was carried out in Corund in 2012-2013. The visited toplasz people who work with tinders were asked with semi-structured interviews to list the harvesting method and time, storage and preparations, as well as the ethnomycological and ethnomedicinal use of the fruit body of tinder fungus and birch polypore. Literature data were collected from the major scientific databases. The ethnomycological use of tinder fungus and birch polypore starts with the traditional steps of collection, storage, and trimming and involves the use for ethnomedicinal purposes and preparation of unique handmade products. These preparations are still available on national and international markets nowadays. The ethnobotanical use of these fungi resulted in a special local occupation in Corund, which is a unique activity in the world. Unfortunately, it seems to be a disappearing tradition nowadays because of the lack of transmission. Therefore, these living data should be urgently documented and preserved for the maintenance of this valuable local tradition and knowledge of Sz,kelys.