Old grafted "notary" beeches

[Fungus]

Before the nursing of seedlings from seeds of Fagus sylvatica Atropunicea was mastered, in The Netherlands, notables, who could afford it, had so called grafted "notarisbomen" (notary trees) planted in their front gardens.

After some decades some of these "red leaved" beeches started to develop bulbous necrosis caused by Nectria ditissima in and around the grafted areas and/or on the buttresses. One tree in the depicted front lane near a castle also was attacked by (rhizomorphs of) a parasitic Armillaria species at the base of the originally "green leaved" beech, at some distance of a tree a root was colonized by Xerula radicata and another tree formed a strangler root.

The photo's show examples of the still closed or partially opened up bulbous necrosis, of a "free range" root far away from the trees and the strangler root, of the damage caused by Armillaria and of the superficially damaged "free range" root (lawn mower), which had been colonized by Xerula radicata.

---

Edited August 11, 2011 by Fungus

[David Goss]

that second pic needs another home in the "faces in trees" thread

[Fungus]

that second pic needs another home in the "faces in trees" thread

 

David,

That's exactly what my wife said yesterday, when I was shooting pictures of this group of trees, so I'll upload it under that thread too .

[Daniël Bos]

Great pics Gerrit, where are they?

[Fungus]

where are they?

 

Daniel,

In the front lane of Hackfort castle in Vorden.

[Graham]

that second pic needs another home in the "faces in trees" thread

 

Was going to say the same.

[ScottF]

Do you think Nectria colonisation was simply a function of the area between the graft being exposed the the air (as such), or do you think that some disfunction of the tissue around the grafting point produced abnormal growth which was somehow more susceptible to infection, Gerrit?

[Fungus]

Do you think Nectria colonisation was simply a function of the area between the graft being exposed the the air (as such), or do you think that some disfunction of the tissue around the grafting point produced abnormal growth which was somehow more susceptible to infection?

 

Scott,

I'm not sure, but I think both, because in the old days, gardeners and tree nursery men were not taught to "disinfect" and seal the open grafting wounds properly and not all of the Dutch notary trees at this and other locations, where they almost always have been planted as solitary trees, have this infection.

[rootstoshoots]

Just amazing photo's, I have never seen anything like these Beech, great job Gerrit

[treeseer]

Any idea how many decades ago those were grafted?

 

Trees' responses around graft unions are fascinating!