The Ganoderma thread!

[bjam1964]

Hi there,

 

I do hope these pictures are posted on the correct thread - forgive me if not.

 

These fungi are present at the bottom of a Horse Chestnut. The tree is next to a tennis court on a private estate which is used on a regular basis.

 

The tree is completely defoliated (pictures taken this evening - 5th October) and the side where the fungi is present has significant die back. When the tree was in leaf the canopy could best be described as sparse (which is quite an achievement for a Horse Chestnut!).

 

It looks like Ganoderma sp. but I don't feel brave enough to state which species

 

Now for the interesting bit - how would you choose to advise your client?

 

Many thanks, Brian

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

thats resinaceum and its panic fruiting, if thats a horse chestnut i wouldnt hang about getting it down its goosed.

[Matthew Arnold]

Some Gano i found growing on a Sallow Willow. I'm thinking G.australe but no sink marks where the brackets attach so maybe G.lipense. It is panic fruiting and the tree is starting to show signs of die-back. Its on private (for now) land but the land owner has given it open access status as it is next to our flagship site.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I reckon its a fair assumption but you know the rules of the ganoderma fandango! scopes!

[Fungus]

Some Gano i found growing on a Sallow Willow. I'm thinking G.australe. It is panic fruiting and the tree is starting to show signs of die-back.

 

Matt,

Salix + panic fruiting + signs of die-back = with over 90 % certainty the biotrophic parasitic G. australe.

[Tom Joye]

At first, I thought these were Ganoderma australe brackets, but after talking with Gerrit and realising G. australe is a biotrophic parasite, this has to be G. applanatum (beech has been felled 1,5 years ago).

 

untill now I always thought this kind of lumpy brackets with a thick white growth margin were australe ... I'll have to reconsider

 

(by the way: I think Pholliota aurivella bottom left, will post more pics in another thread)

[Fungus]

1. I thought these were Ganoderma australe brackets, realising G. australe is a biotrophic parasite, this has to be G. applanatum (beech has been felled 1,5 years ago). untill now I always thought this kind of lumpy brackets with a thick white growth margin were australe ... I'll have to reconsider

2. Pholliota aurivella bottom left

 

Tom,

1. No galls of Agathomyia wankowiczi present ? Were the recently formed brackets attached to older brackets and positioned at a 90 degree turned level (geoptropism) ? And don't reconsider as long as you don't have microscopical (spores) evidence of this species not being G. australe .

2. .

[Tom Joye]

Tom,

1. No galls of Agathomyia wankowiczi present ? Were the recently formed brackets attached to older brackets and positioned at a 90 degree turned level (geoptropism) ? And don't reconsider as long as you don't have microscopical (spores) evidence of this species not being G. australe .

2. .

 

Gerrit,

no galls present and the older brackets were only on the stem base. No older brackets higher up the stem, all the FB's you see have been formed after the tree was felled.

Considering:

* this tree has been felled (and therfore is quite dead) 1.5 years ago

* the FB's have been formed after felling of the tree and are now still active

* G. australe being a biotrophic parasite

 

--> can you still doubt this is G. applanatum?

[Fungus]

Considering:

* this tree has been felled (and therefore is quite dead) 1.5 years ago

* the FB's have been formed after felling of the tree and are now still active

* G. australe being a biotrophic parasite

 

--> can you still doubt this is G. applanatum?

 

Tom,

Yes I can, as long as it has not been microscopically identified by the size of the spores. With fungi, there's always an exception to the rules we make up for them . F.i. : G. australe is documented to be (rather poorly) decaying dead wood in vitro (Schwartze) and recently one has succeeded in having the biotrophic parasitic Grifola frondosa fruiting from dead oak wood.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

At first, I thought these were Ganoderma australe brackets, but after talking with Gerrit and realising G. australe is a biotrophic parasite, this has to be G. applanatum (beech has been felled 1,5 years ago).

 

untill now I always thought this kind of lumpy brackets with a thick white growth margin were australe ... I'll have to reconsider

 

(by the way: I think Pholliota aurivella bottom left, will post more pics in another thread)

 

I think (IMO of course) that you suspect Applanatum because of the necrotrphic nature of these brackets, but your guts say australe for the form, this is all good and correct gut instinct, the reason your being pulled either way is because it is neither but in fact the necrotrophic G. pfeifferi:thumbup1: being also beech specific, rarely on oak.