Brown and white rot of processed wood

[Fungus]

Pete Bannister's post

 

Pete,

IME finding FB's of Serpula lacrymans in forests or woodlands would be improbable, because as far as I have witnessed fruitings outside buildings, it has been on processed wood like on boards used for making a balcony flower box (first photo). Inside fruiting mostly takes place in old poorly isolated buildings (photo 2), or in more recently built over-isolated and insufficiently ventilated (cellars of) houses.

If FB's of a dry rot causing Serpula species are found on non-processed coniferous wood in forests, IME it always is S. himantioides, which in Dutch is called the "Dakloze huiszwam", meaning homeless house fungus (photo 3), which this far has never been found fruiting inside a building.

Inside and outside buildings and especially in cellars, we often have a moist brown rot causing Coniophora species, mostly C. arida (photo 4), the species you also mention. On benches in parks one can sometimes find Gloeophyllum sepiarium (photo 5) and on wooden fences G. abietinum (photo 6).

And then there are the white rot in processed wood causing species, like the very common Dacrymyces stillatus or Trametes versicolor and the rare Phellinus contiguus (photo 7).

 

A story from my own practice. I once was called in on an insurance case after a printing press had overnight broke through the floorboards and dropped two metres down on the basement floor.

Two mayor beams had been dry rotted completely by S. lacrymans, which had been fruiting so prolificely, that the shelves of a cupboard were covered with an one millimetre thick layer of spores looking like someone had emptied a tin of cinnamon.

There also was a cupboard with classic lp's nearby, in which white rhizomorph strains had consumed the cellulose of the covers of the records and had "glued" them together, so that the owner could only take out the records and not remove the covers anymore.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Fungus

[Pete Bannister]

Hi Gerit, Ive been enjoying your posts on this site.

Thanks for your comments and superb photos re 'domesticated rots'. I too don’t believe Iv’e ever found S. lacrymans in the woods. However, I spend very little time in conifer forest, so maybe that's why! Others have reported it in conifer forest ( Bech-Andersen)but I think it’s either extremely rare or not verified. It’s interesting that you say S. himantiodes doesn’t occur in buildings; earlier this year I came across a viable FB which at first I thought to be S. lacrymans but on close examination I came to the view that it was more likely S. himantioides because I could detect no gelatinous layer in the trama. Otherwise it looked like lacrymans!)

 

We find Phellinus contiguus quite frequently on exterior joinery products here in the UK.

I’ve spent most of my working life looking for and at fungi in buildings (sad but true). One quickly develops a sense for the type of habitat favoured. S. lacrymans is widespread and very common : so it is fascinating to me to come across a northern European manmade habitat ( 19th century building in the Outer Hebrides) where it should be present but is reportedly not found.

I should have found S lacrymans but mostly found C arida .

 

Even our search dog (trained to detect S. Lacrymans) struck out and that is very unusual. I have been thinking that C arida (photos 2 &3) is outcompeting S lacrymans in this building

 

regards

Pete Bannister

H+R Environmental Investigation Ltd.

[RobArb]

Nice photo's pete, one side of the fung I've never even thought about:blush:

 

Sent from Rob's GalaxySII

[Fungus]

1. Others have reported it in conifer forest ( Bech-Andersen) but I think it’s either extremely rare or not verified. It’s interesting that you say S. himantioides doesn’t occur in buildings; earlier this year I came across a viable FB which at first I thought to be S. lacrymans but on close examination I came to the view that it was more likely S. himantioides because I could detect no gelatinous layer in the trama. Otherwise it looked like lacrymans!)

2. We find Phellinus contiguus quite frequently on exterior joinery products here in the UK.

 

Hi Pete,

Nice interior photo's .

1. If this is true, one of my Dutch collegues, who named S. himantioides the Dakloze huiszwam ® will not be pleased, so for his sake and peace of mind, I hope you misidentified the .

2. That's also the case in The Netherlands, my photo shows a rare exception of fruiting on the lower side of a window. In Dutch it's called the "Werkhoutzwam", which means the processed wood fungus.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Fungus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have always admired S lacrymans

[Fungus]

I have always admired S lacrymans

 

Tony,

I'm sure you mean as long as you don't have it inside your house .

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

I'm sure you mean as long as you don't have it inside your house .

 

 

if it ever shows up in my house it will be allowed to grow till ive a decent image!

[Fungus]

if it ever shows up in my house it will be allowed to grow till ive a decent image!

 

It usually fruits after the "work" is done, read the case story of the printing press !!!

[Pete Bannister]

Thats very true Gerit; about fruiting ..we can often tell folk that when they see fruiting its a good sign..the worst is over and if you still have a floor to stand on; well praise be. I do like your Dutch common names, wonderfully descriptive

Tony, I too admire S.lacrymans..its provided me with a living for best party of 25 yrs! so not all bad. In my experience Ive come to understand that S. lacrymans is more often a psychological problem for the owners and occupants of buildings than it is a physical problem. The physical issue are actually not difficult to cope with. Its no more of a problem than ‘athlete’s foot’ not really a fungal problem but a footwear problem

A very wise man told that decay organisms (building pathogens) such as dry rot fungus are telling us something about the building..the fungus is a symptom of the real problem and not a cause. When you are responsible for public safety, for major expense and for potential claims in law, its easy to over-react to fungal decay in buildings. However, experience shows that little is often required to tip the balance away from the fungus. This is analogous to some of the situation you encounter in living systems, and has been so well elucidated on this site. For me its easier though, Im only dealing with one living thing; the fungus ( that is, if you don’t count the client! )

[Pete Bannister]

Tony. I not only owe my livelihood to S. lacrymans but I also owe my happy marriage to this wonderful fungus. My wife had a house with active dry rot; she's a medical micro-biologist with a specialist interest in fungi. I was experimenting with non-chemical means of treating dry rot fungus in building material. Thats how we met and that was our first interest in common. well apart from sex that is..twenty years on and hey.. were still both really interested in fungi..ha ha