Fistulina hepatica

[RobArb]

All interesting stuff and a good read:thumbup:

 

 

 

Rob,

Any idea why it is called "poor man's beafsteak" ? Could it be because the fruitbodies contain a high concentration of vinegar acid, the mycelium has "pumped out" from the oak ?

 

 

All i know is the way i cooked it sure did taste nice:biggrin:

[Fungus]

All i know is the way i cooked it sure did taste nice:biggrin:

 

Rob,

And ever since eating it, you keep on banging your head to the wall ?

[Fungus]

Gerrit, do you know if the presence of mycelial sheets through the decayed wood where we find brown rot on oak, is indicative of either one or both of Laetiporus & Fistulina ?

 

David,

To my knowledge, whitish to pale yellowish mycelial sheets only can originate from Laetiporus, because Fistulina does not totally brown (or soft) rot major parts of the central wood and in colonizing wood with its mycelium, Fistulina colours the wood orange red, just like Pycnoporus cinnabarinus (photo) does.

[RobArb]

Rob,

And ever since eating it, you keep on banging your head to the wall ?

 

That would be a different story!

[Graham]

Just as a matter of interest. Oak trees used to be artificially infected, so I'm told, with Fistulina to create brown oak which was a valuable timber. Anyone know how this was achieved and at what stage did they know to fell before the timber degraded?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

gerrit, Having looked over my images I have to say that I hope that you will continue to guide me through my current mis-perceptions. I am still confused as to the fact that 99.95 % of the time Fistulina fruits at exposed heartwood, but looking at the following set again i am seeing the orange tones of laetiporus in that large cavity as well as the powdery mold.

 

I will add these so you can continue to tell me where im going wrong in my evaluation of this fungi. Its rather depressing to think i have to start over, and re evaluate EVERYTHING i thought I knew, but inspiring to think that at last I am truly learning, thank you.

 

the resize function has ceased working and will not be able to download the images for now, they will follow...

 

steve whats happened?

[Fungus]

Just as a matter of interest. Oak trees used to be artificially infected, so I'm told, with Fistulina to create brown oak which was a valuable timber. Anyone know how this was achieved and at what stage did they know to fell before the timber degraded?

 

Graham,

 

They "harvested" the infected wood when it had the right colour tone and still was solid enough for processing and then imprignated it for preservation, just like they did with pieces of green coloured wood, which had been infected with the mycelium of Chlorociboria spp. used as intarsia or inlays in Tunbridge Ware.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

 

 

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fungus]

As comparison, I first show a photo of Quercus robur with extensive bark necrosis caused by Fistulina hepatica, followed by four photo's showing the body language of Quercus robur and Q. rubra, of which the heartwood is severely brown rotted by the mycelium of Laetiporus sulphureus.

The second and third photo show one of the oldest Quercus robur of The Netherlands, the "kroeseboom" of Fleringen, which has completely been hollowed out by L. sulphureus, almost completely has lost his crown because of this and also has been under attack of F. hepatica, causing a giant bark and cambium necrosis at the base of the trunk (see my Album : Fistulina hepatica).

The fourth photo shows the body language of an old Q. robur, of which the heartwood of the lower end of the trunk completely has been destroyed by L. sulphureus, after which the tree, because of the massive downward pressure from the weight of the tree, has tried to compensate for its loss of stability by forming extra thick year rings, which are pushed outward by the weight of the tree and at the same time pushed on top of one another making the trunk "sink down" and the bark crack in horizontal direction. Once the cracking of the bark also takes place in vertical direction, the tree can easily give way because of the loss of its central column of heartwood and the continous pressure of its weight on the lower end of the trunk and fall.

The last photo shows a Quercus rubra, broken and split in half after the heartwood of the trunk had been brown rotted by L. sulphureus, without the mycelium ever fruiting, which is a good example of the hidden life this "sleeping bastard" sometimes lives and how it can take us by surprise. And because it concerns Q. rubra, it can not be F. hepatica being responsible for this phenomenon.