found this inside a willow

[the verminator]

Hi

 

found this inside a willow that we took down today. was very rotten and hollow in the middle. there were some cavities as well and there were slugs inside, were they what did this? it also had honey fungus boot laces, but i dont think this had ote to do with it?

 

cheers

 

Gary

[janey]

I hope you had gloves on when you pulled that out

[armybloke]

A food cache a bird or animal forgot about maybe? I found a Birch cavity full of mush the other day and it was the dreaded HF, so your bootlace theory may not hold water - well not as much as that mush did anyway!! :lol:

[Fungus]

found this inside a willow that we took down today. was very rotten and hollow in the middle. there were some cavities as well ... it also had honey fungus boot laces

 

Gary,

Are you sure it was an Armillaria rhizomorph ? IMO it could just as well be secundary roots formed by the tree itself penetrating and "tapping" the rotten wood, a phenomenon which often is found in hollow or pollarded willows.

[spudulike]

Any of your guys got a bad cold or been eating Chow Mein from that dodgy Chinese restaurant on the high street:thumbup:

 

Sorry - appologies in advance:blushing:

[the verminator]

fungus - iv just googled Armillaria rhizomorph just to check and yes. there were some roots that penetrated the rot tho. one of them was mabey 8 in in diameter!

[Fungus]

Armillaria ... there were some roots that penetrated the rot ... one of them was 8 in in diameter!

 

For the differences between Armillaria rhizomorphs and secundary roots, see my album : Rhizomorphs Armillaria.

And this diameter secundary roots even makes colonizing and fruiting from the roots by ectomycorrhizal symbionts like Russula olivaceoviolascens possible, as is documented in the photo of three fruitbodies growing at 2 metres height on top of a pollarded willow.

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Edited June 8, 2011 by Fungus

[elicokiz]

Gary there is an earthworm in the middle of that image...could this be some new form of highly evolved hyphae which has become tired of its diet of nematodes ???

Dave

[the verminator]

fungus - defo Armillaria, would it be possible for the roots to from a second stem inside the original if there were enough of them?

 

dave - it went through the chipper with the rest of the rotten stuff in the stump so no one will ever know

[Fungus]

would it be possible for the roots to form a second stem inside the original if there were enough of them?

 

No, the roots grow "backwards" from the cambium and provide the branches growing on the outside or on top of the (pollarded) tree with moisture and nutrients from the decayed wood.