Keizer's Fungi Q & A.

[Fungus]

Examples of how beeches with bi- or trifurcated trunks can compensate for the instability ... some beeches have activated their sleeping branch buds from opposite sides of two trunks growing towards another until contact is made and the branches fuse forming a stabilizing branch bridge of up to a metre in length.

 

A quite spectacular example of a beech with several branch bridges to stabilize a far outreaching branch/trunk and keep it from bending down or dropping.

Although the base of the joint is colonized by Pholiota aurivella and Oudemansiella mucida is present on one of the branch bridges, the multi-furcated tree has stayed stable for the last 15 years.

---

Edited August 18, 2011 by Fungus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

theres nice bat hole in that too!

[Fungus]

theres bat hole in that too!

 

Tony,

, I didn't notice it until now.

[Tom Joye]

Examples of how beeches with bi- or trifurcated trunks can compensate for the instability of the "plakoksels" can be found in one of my long term research locations, a 100-150 years old beech forest in the centre of The Netherlands.

Here, some beeches have activated their sleeping branch buds from opposite sides of two trunks growing towards another until contact is made and the branches fuse forming a stabilizing branch bridge of up to a metre in length.

 

Gerrit,

Apparently you see this as an 'active' process, under 'controll' of the tree? That's hard to believe. Always thought of it as a 'lucky shot'? How could a tree controll this? Would it be like many dormant buds sprouting on both sides and two just might connect?

 

Your last set of pictures is absolutely stunning! Remember one of Davids pictures of a beech with a similar branch grafting (that I've seen in real life ):

interesting biomechanics

 

Cheers,

Tom

[Fungus]

1. Apparently you see this as an 'active' process, under 'control' of the tree? That's hard to believe. Always thought of it as a 'lucky shot'? How could a tree control this? Would it be like many dormant buds sprouting on both sides and two just might connect?

2. Your last set of pictures is absolutely stunning! Remember one of Davids pictures of a beech with a similar branch grafting

 

Tom,

1. In the this far documented cases of beeches, but also of oaks, limes and ashes, I don't think it is a random or trial and error process, because :

- there's no evidence, i.e. are no remains, of other dormant buds in the direct vicinity of the bridges, which had been activated and "send out" (in vain) to meet others too, and

- the phenomenon of complete merging at the tip of the branches and full closure of the bark only takes place among trunks and branches of genetically identical trees coming from the same "mother" (first photo).

Besides, there is a lot of recent research showing plants and trees are capable of communicating over some distance through secretion of within species specific feromones for which they (of course) have receptors too. And there is evidence for the same phenomenon happening among insects and trees (Acacia <> ants), between tree roots and tree species specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi and between a parasitic Armillaria species, which as a wolf in sheep's clothing, mimics the feromones of ectomycorrhizal macrofungi to "be let in" by the tree, too.

2. In David's case, I think it concerns "schuurtakken" (grate or scour branches), which have formed "grafts" with incomplete cambium-cambium contact and bark closure on the "rubbing" sides without complete merging, as also can be seen in the next two photo's.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Fungus

[Fungus]

In the this far documented cases of oaks, limes, poplars and ashes, I don't think it is a random or trial and error process, because the phenomenon of complete merging at the tip of the branches and full closure of the bark only takes place among trunks and branches of genetically identical trees coming from the same "mother".

 

Some examples of this phenomenon in other tree species then beech.

Photo 1/2 : Quercus robur.

Photo 3 : Fraxinus excelsior.

Photo 4 : Populus species.

[Fungus]

And documentation of different tree species only capable of partially "merging" with one another without making a cambium-cambium connection.

Photo 1 : oak and ash.

Photo 2 : birch and beech.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

And lastly, maybe being of the same species and having "comminication links via not only hormones but mycorhizea, this wonderful pair of hedgrow beeches from ashridge estate. cleary the sub order tree was waning, with kretzshmaria and armillaria, but once engaged with the partner/nieghbour everlasting life via the communion of union!

 

 

 

 

 

[Fungus]

And lastly, maybe being of the same species and having "communication links via not only hormones but mycorrhizea, this wonderful pair of hedgrow beeches from ashridge estate. cleary the sub order tree was waning, with kretzshmaria and armillaria, but once engaged with the partner/neighbour everlasting life via the communion of union!

 

Unless the white and soft rotted part of the root of the waning sub order tree was colonized by the mycelium of Paxillus involutus, Scleroderma citrinum or Thelephora terrestris (see this post), there will not have been above ground/soil "communication" possible through ectomycorrhizal structures, so in this case the "tap" root coming from the other tree probably just was "attracted" by water and available nutrients in the natural "bowl".

And also see this beech root bridge.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I was just playing with the tree above, obviously its an old layered hedge boundary and both trees of same age but one has grown on and dominated its nieghbour.

 

but im here today for a few identification helps-

 

First up a Postia type bracket on Pinus i believe, or maybe larix, smells a bit like apple slices when broken and very very juicy too, definatley of the postia type/family?

 

then an odd little crust also on pinus sylvestris, more pale blue tones in the flesh than in the image.