On Weeping Willow

[nepia]

This is spreading along the underside of a limb that rarely gets full sun.

 

What is it please?

What are its effects, if any?

Is action likely to be needed? The limb could be removed without spoiling the tree which makes a pleasant change.

Should I have been able to find it in the fung directory? If so how?

 

So many questions...

 

Thanks,

 

Jon

[Eddy_t]

Take it off, it will most likely fail, we had loads of limbs fall off healthier trees last year, the wood is shockingly weak, and the bark tear damage is stupid!

 

 

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[nepia]

The owner would go for that but only if backed up with something a little more.... scientific?!

 

Cheers.

[Paul Jenks]

I don't recall the exact name. It looks like a saprophite that is living of dead/dying material. It looks like the limb is dying, possibly as a result of historic foliar removal or as a result of it simply not getting enough sun. If it's an internal limb with not much leaf at the end it's unlikely to fail catastrophically, it'll just die.

[Paul Jenks]

Stereum rugosum. It's a strong indicator that the limb tree is unable to cope with regular foliage loss or reduced foliar cover, it is unlikely that significant structural decay has occurred.

[Paddy Magee]

It looks like chicken of the wood. It causes stems and branches to fail

 

 

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[Paul Jenks]

Brackets don't look right and aren't particularly localised for laetiporus. Am happy to be put right on this as it's not something I devote a great deal of time to.

[nepia]

It looks like chicken of the wood. It causes stems and branches to fai

 

It's not that: I think the pics may make the bodies look deeper than they are. They are flat and hug the branch.

 

 

Stereum rugosum. It's a strong indicator that the limb tree is unable to cope with regular foliage loss or reduced foliar cover, it is unlikely that significant structural decay has occurred.

 

Thanks Paul. That looks a highly likely candidate whose saprophytic habit would seem logical. The branch is not exactly in rude health but it's willow - it could be 99% dead and still sprout growth every year.

 

Limb removal is looking a serious option: it's long and thin, bears little growth, though some, and is lying only about 30 degrees above the horizontal so leverage is considerable. As I said before removal won't spoil the tree and the target environment is moderate in risk - occasional pedestrians, regular vehicles on the drive.

[Eddy_t]

It's not that: I think the pics may make the bodies look deeper than they are. They are flat and hug the branch.

 

 

Thanks Paul. That looks a highly likely candidate whose saprophytic habit would seem logical. The branch is not exactly in rude health but it's willow - it could be 99% dead and still sprout growth every year.

 

Limb removal is looking a serious option: it's long and thin, bears little growth, though some, and is lying only about 30 degrees above the horizontal so leverage is considerable. As I said before removal won't spoil the tree and the target environment is moderate in risk - occasional pedestrians, regular vehicles on the drive.

 

I would assume they're the tiny cream coloured fungi that look more like scales than big plates, like many of the small polypores do, I won't try to guess the species, but have seen similar in many willows, it taints the wood brown, and makes it spongy, where it is also will compromise the structural support of that limb, it looks about 50% coverage, with a high concentration of fruiting bodies, were the concentration lower, I would have told you to retain it, but keep watch, but that volume of fungi usually compromises the branch IME

 

 

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[Old Mill Tree Care]

I'm not sure Jon but have you put this on the Fungi thread?