Ganoderma Applanatum or Australe?

[CRAIG78]

Hello there,

I would really appreciate any expertise on these brackets. They are fruiting out of the butt of an Oak which is in the neighbouring garden of a house I am purchasing. 

They're clearly Ganoderma but which variety, as it is my understanding that some Ganoderma species are more invasive than others? I’m afraid I don’t have any photos of the undersides.  I'm not a tree expert but from what I can tell from current visual observations of the tree (albeit in leaf-fall phase) along with historical Street View images and recent estate agent photography, the tree itself appears to be maintaining a healthy crown with no clearly visible limb damage or thinning. I know this obviously doesn’t mean that all is well but all
I do know is that the brackets were not visible in Summer 2009. The specimen (possibly a Red Oak?) is an absolutely beautiful tree. No property targets though it lies on a quiet road and directly over two driveways. Picus survey required? Thanks in advance for any advice - it is hugely appreciated.

 

 

 

 

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, CRAIG78 said:

Hello there,

I would really appreciate any expertise on these brackets. They are fruiting out of the butt of an Oak which is in the neighbouring garden of a house I am purchasing. 

They're clearly Ganoderma but which variety, as it is my understanding that some Ganoderma species are more invasive than others? I’m afraid I don’t have any photos of the undersides.  I'm not a tree expert but from what I can tell from current visual observations of the tree (albeit in leaf-fall phase) along with historical Street View images and recent estate agent photography, the tree itself appears to be maintaining a healthy crown with no clearly visible limb damage or thinning. I know this obviously doesn’t mean that all is well but all
I do know is that the brackets were not visible in Summer 2009. The specimen (possibly a Red Oak?) is an absolutely beautiful tree. No property targets though it lies on a quiet road and directly over two driveways. Picus survey required? Thanks in advance for any advice - it is hugely appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Certainly looks to be a red Oak from the leaf . David Humphries is your man for the brackets .

Edited October 24, 2022 by Stubby

[CRAIG78]

Thanks Stubby. Is David around? 😅

[Stubby]

22 hours ago, CRAIG78 said:

Thanks Stubby. Is David around? 😅

Yes he is about quite often . I tried doing an @Davidhumphries but it did not go black so I have got that wrong somehow .  ( It would alert him to the post ) Perhaps Steve can sort it .

[Steve Bullman]

@David Humphries

[Steve Bullman]

14 minutes ago, Stubby said:

Yes he is about quite often . I tried doing an @Davidhumphries but it did not go black so I have got that wrong somehow .  ( It would alert him to the post ) Perhaps Steve can sort it .

Needed a space in his name. He's not a commoner you know

 

[Stubby]

4 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Needed a space in his name. He's not a commoner you know

 

And yet he works in one a lot of the time 🙂

[David Humphries]

I would suspect that these are Ganoderma adspersum (the southern bracket) rather than Ganoderma applanatum ( the artist bracket) 

 

it’s quite difficult to determine a positive identification from just images of the fruiting body morphology.

 

Microscopic assessment of the spores is really the only way to be sure.

 

The tree appears to be adapting to internal decay and load. The pronounced developing buttressing and leaf coverage suggest good vitality but it would be prudent to have a thorough assessment undertaken by a professional. 

[CRAIG78]

Thanks for your input David - really interesting to have an expert set of eyes on this, despite the limitations of the photos/context. I will certainly be keeping a close eye on developments and when I move into the property in early January '23, I will at the first opportunity mention the presence of the brackets to the new owners of the tree (they themselves are also yet to move in, adding to the complexities here!) and I will update the thread in the near future. Obviously, my overall aim is to ultimately try to maximise the life of the tree, though with one eye on the potential for it not to make it past a tree inspection. The storms of late 2021 and early 2022 suggest that indeed, the oak retains good structural integrity at this stage and this, together with the otherwise good vitality you mention, hopefully point to there being life in it yet. If nothing else, it will hopefully provide a useful case study for future reference. Thanks again - much appreciated. Craig, Northumberland

[JaySmith]

Looking at the pic I was going G.australe because of the thick white outer section. Tree looks like a red oak. I’ve got a red oak that has multiple ganoderma brackets on it. From sounding with a mallet the decay appears advanced and has got progressively worse over a short period of time. Personally from experience I find that red oaks don’t compartmentalise ganoderma that well, similar to how lime deals with it - although I’m only going off experience and not aware of any published papers. 
 

If there are any targets such as road/driveway etc like you say further investigation would be advisable. Sounding with a mallet may be sufficient to map the decay and estimate sound timber and then decide whether or not further analysis such as Picus is required.