Phaeolus schweinitzii takes down 3 larch

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Youll be seeing this relationship many times in your career! is probably the most common rotter of Larix in the U.k along with heterobassidion

[Fungus]

U.K. ... along with Heterobasidion ...

 

... a white rotter and along with the also brown rot causing Sparassis crispa ?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

... a white rotter and along with the also brown rot causing Sparassis crispa ?

 

 

I have NEVER seen sparasiss crispa on larix here, only the two H. annosum and P shweinitzii, sparassis seems to occupy the niche in pines and douglas firs here.

 

of course im sure there are exceptions but its a general guide, at least in my area

[armybloke]

More evidence from todays visit to the infected area. Found 3 more infected trees and I have posted some more pictures. The 'plug' was as dry as a bone and fell out of the centre of the stem complete. this tree was felled because of the target and it had a stem hazard about 2m long (like the others). These trees are exposed on top of a hill so wind does not help but at least they fall into the shelterbelt and not on the houses next door!

 

Again not much in the way of live wood when we opened her up. What suprised me is that the trees have not failed at the root plate or closer to ground level. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I understood that this fungi was a root and butt rotter but I have experience 3 trees that have failed as a consequence of a stem hazard.

[David Humphries]

I understood that this fungi was a root and butt rotter but I have experience 3 trees that have failed as a consequence of a stem hazard.

 

Have often seen P. schweinitzii fruiting from internal decay at considerable height on stems of pines & cedars.

Not just confined to root & basal region.

 

 

 

.

[armybloke]

Thanks David, I have too but always attributed this to a basal presence as they were there also. Something I will look out for in future - thank you

[Fungus]

Have often seen P. schweinitzii fruiting from internal decay at considerable height on stems of pines & cedars.

Not just confined to root & basal region.

 

I share the same experience.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

and I once felled a very large pine with no evidence of Phaeolus in the bottom 10 metres but fruitbodies at a wound at that hieght with some decay. so it is capable of top rot with no evidence low down. I have seen it panic fruit for the first time from the rootplates of trees that blew out by the rootplate (because the wood was over thinned) with no decayed roots evident. this suggests that its prefered entry is via roots but as a biotrophic parasite one may assume it has no real interest in focusing on merely roots and killing the host too quickly. In my experience most failures occure due to the T/R rule of the stem rather than root failures

[Fungus]

I once felled a very large pine with no evidence of Phaeolus in the bottom 10 metres but fruitbodies at a wound at that hieght with some decay. so it is capable of top rot with no evidence low down. I have seen it panic fruit for the first time from the rootplates of trees that blew out by the rootplate (because the wood was over thinned) with no decayed roots evident. this suggests that its prefered entry is via roots but as a biotrophic parasite one may assume it has no real interest in focusing on merely roots and killing the host too quickly. In my experience most failures occure due to the T/R rule of the stem rather than root failures

 

Tony,

P. schweinitzii is a facultative or necrotrophic parasite, that can fruit from dead wood for many years.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

P. schweinitzii is a facultative or necrotrophic parasite, that can fruit from dead wood for many years.

 

whay does it panic fruit from cut logs then? ive never seen living fruits on dead trees either?

 

I stand corrected, was an assumption I should not have made without looking at the facts:blushing: