Fistulina hepatica

[David Humphries]

Beefsteak fungus

 

All my references say F. hepatica is considered to be a root and lower stem Brown cubical Rotter.

 

Yet here it is on two different Oak trunks at height.

 

What's going on here then?

 

Mycologists not very accurate with their data recording?

State of the climate and general poor woodland health conditions allowing the host Trees to supply a new environment for the fungi to exploit?

 

The later might be a tad more interesting and give this thread a few pages, but probably the former.

 

Opinions anyone

 

............and no, I'm not going to cut them down and sell to the highest bidder

[David Humphries]

This is it's natural and percieved habitat, how dare the little bleeder change tact and sprout out somewhere different from where it's expected

[Amelanchier]

They don't read the books...

[Bundle 2]

Thats cos they're mushrooms.....

[David oakman]

I have got a wind blown oak in what is called the oak grove and in the root plate are huge fistulina also walking along the gll a river looking in the running root systems fistulina. Also this week i have had a spate of new latiporus.

[Log-ologist]

Attack and infestation is of exposed heartwood. That can be any where. Spores can as easily land in the upper stem wound as in the base.

[David Humphries]

Attack and infestation is of exposed heartwood. That can be any where. Spores can as easily land in the upper stem wound as in the base.

 

Where is that little gem of info from Logo?

 

Found another seven trees (all in one avenue) with it on today.

Four of which had friuting bodies @ height

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I did a search before starting my own F. hepatica thread and as there is one already I'm adding my opinion here and bumping!

 

An update of the info on a lot of fungi and their habits needs updating, books are often written by researched by information at least in a large part, so old data/observations persist. IMO

 

 

Fistulina can appear anywhere in the tree where heartwood becomes exposed as has been stated already. Doesnt represent much danger till very late stages with cavity formation behind major limb junctions. This is due to the internal horizontal fibres being decayed and leaving only the last rings of sapwood and verticaly aligned fibres bearing the full wieght of the limb.see image below

 

 

 

Ecologicaly speaking F. hepatica and L. sulpherus play vital roles within a woodland, forming cavities that give a home to a wide variety of bats and raptors and are the two major fungi responsible for returning the durable heartwood of oaks back to the cycle of life, Oak will often remain laying un decayed on the forest floor without these critical fungi.

[David Humphries]

I have got a wind blown oak in what is called the oak grove and in the root plate are huge fistulina

 

First time I've come across Fistulina emerging through an upturned rootplate.

 

This tree came down a couple of months ago.

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

cool pics, havent seen it on underside of root plate as yet, good to see.