Fungus on willow

[Marc Lewis]

Can anyone identify this fungus. It has colonised on this recently pollarded willow. It appears to have an orange underside and the top looks a little like clams or shellfish. I am sure it is not Oyster. It looks to have killed one of the pollard points. Thanks in advance

[Paul Melarange]

I'll take a punt at Trametes versicolor and Stereum rugosum

 

Expecting to be corrected by either David or Chris 😀

[Andrew McEwan]

Looks like Trametes versicolor

[Kveldssanger]

Nah Paul, I'd say you're bang on. Check the Stereum by running a blade over the fruiting body. If it turns red then it'll be Stereum rugosum, as S. gausapatum turns red and is found largely on oak only. Conversely, S. subtomentosum turns orange at the periphery on the underside and S. hirsutum doesn't do anything - the boring bugger.

 

Oh no! Hold up. I see pores on the underside of the later image - Stereum species lack pores. It might all be Trametes versicolor.

Edited April 30, 2017 by Kveldssanger

[Marc Lewis]

I have now looked up Trametes v and whilst some charachteristics are similar, some do not seem to quite add up. Particularly the underside. The underside of this fungus is orange in colour like that of the false turkey tail though from what I have read, forms only on dead wood (I may be wrong) and this has formed on both live and dead wood although this maybe what killed the pollard knuckle. Does anyone have any other ideas as to what this may be?

[Marc Lewis]

Here are a couple more photos

[Marc Lewis]

Are there any other types of fungus that you think it could be, or are you fairly certain that it is Trametes v? Thanks

[Marc Lewis]

What would you recommend the best course of action to be? many thanks.

[billpierce]

That's a banging anchor point in yer first pic

 

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[daltontrees]

Are there any other types of fungus that you think it could be, or are you fairly certain that it is Trametes v? Thanks

 

I think everyone's fairly sure it's Trametes versicolor. It's a very variable fungus, colours change from situation to situation.

 

The key thing is that even if it's another species of Trametes or even if it's Stereum, it's 'saprophobic' i.e. only feeding on dead wood. So it probably hasn't killed that part of the tree, (that might be whoever sanctioned the heavy previous pruning).

 

What to do? Nothing. The tree will have compartmentalised the dying parts of the tree and the decay as best it can, and removing the dead woood would only open up a new line of attack for this and other fungi.