Fomes fomentarius

[geoff]

7 months on, and have not reduced this Tree yet.

 

Here are the young Fb's a little more developed.

 

Really like the leaf impressions on the fb that is growing on a detached branch on the ground.

Tried brushing away the offending leaves for the shot, realised they were stuck on to the surface, scraped the foliage away and saw this

 

 

.

 

Fantastic pics,Monkeyed, I am learning lots from these posts,thanks!

[Bundle 2]

Wahey.....taken from"fungal strategies of wood decay in trees "

 

polypores (Fomes )can grow around or enclose obstacles..blah blah....known as

"haptomorphosis"

I'll get on with me w/e now!!

[David Humphries]

Looks ok to climb- whats the management profile of the site ? Amenity use or a conservation / nature zone?

 

K

 

 

 

Both Khriss

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[David Humphries]

An interesting find from last week.

 

Here is Fomes on Birch which is certainly very uncommon down here in the South of the country.

I've seen aplenty in Scotland & the North.

 

I know of one other confirmed sighting of the two together here in London.

 

The increase in managed standing deadwood at my site may be answer to part of the equation here.

There may also be a perceived shift in it's natural range'host relationship due to the progresive change in mean annual temperatures in the Uk.

 

Have posted elsewhere & e-mailed a couple of interested parties, if I get anything back I'll post it up.

 

Anyone else have instances of these two together down in the South?

 

Last shot is Fomes & Piptoporpus together, on an adjacent tree.

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

:001_huh:David, you talk about increased temps on average being a possible reason for thier population going south, but, one might argue that this being a northern fungus traditionaly that higher temps might push it the other way!

 

I think it has always been here, we just tend to recognise its classic form, i.e that grey white fringed appearance but some are very similar to ganos and even Phelinus var can confuse the morphologies.

 

I think it is time you and me really got our heads together and put together a photo series showing the great variation in the three geni, Fommes, phelinus and Ganodermas which can all be very similar at certain times.

 

christ even I am still somewhat hesitant to put a label on any three of these unless they show thier true classic forms, so what chance do others have of making a posative ident when the differences may be and usualy are quite subtle.

 

I say this in the interests of leaving the fungal brackets in situ, rather than destructive removal and dissection, which i am loathed to do.

 

I guess in the interest of this i might try to gather a whole range of them and really take them apart and sort out thier morphology, be an interesting project!

 

one that might throw up a few entomological finds too!

[David Humphries]

:001_huh:David, you talk about increased temps on average being a possible reason for thier population going south, but, one might argue that this being a northern fungus traditionaly that higher temps might push it the other way!

 

I think it has always been here, we just tend to recognise its classic form, i.e that grey white fringed appearance but some are very similar to ganos and even Phelinus var can confuse the morphologies.

 

 

I read your point Tony, but I'm not sure that I'm saying Fomes is a northern Genus coming south on to Southern Birch, as you say it's already here hosting on Beech & Turkey Oak and seemingly in abundence. Particularly in northern Spain, from what I witnessed.

 

Are there perhaps two or more forms of Fomes that haven't yet been seperated & catergorised ?

 

Will be of interest to hear what the great Dr L'dale thinks.

 

 

I'm also not sure I'm relating temp change to it just rising, more fluctuating from the norm.

 

Up until 18 months ago, I had only been aware of Fomes on a single Turkey Oak here at Hampstead, possibly one other much older occurance on a Beech.

But here we are down the line, and I now come across it fruiting on new trees (recent Beech monoliths & now standing dead Birch) suggesting a saprotrophic nature as opposed to it's usual MO of it being parasitic.

 

All interesting stuff.

 

I'll give thought to your tri fung id experiment.

Would certainly be very useful and an educational journey

 

 

 

.

[David Humphries]

A few shots from the Turkey Oak of earlier in the thread, taken today.

 

Really like the (white) spore on the spider threads, particularly the last one afloat on the breeze.

 

 

.

[David Humphries]

another little Fomes encounter, out in the woods.

 

I remember this Beech failing about 5 years ago, but have no recollection of there having been a bracket in attendance at that time.

 

 

.

[David Humphries]

Not 100% on the Id here as it's up pretty high on this Poplar & shots are in no way conclusive.

 

If it is then the host is a new one for me.

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Not 100% on the Id here as it's up pretty high on this Poplar & shots are in no way conclusive.

 

If it is then the host is a new one for me.

 

 

 

.

 

I spotted Fommes in poplar at richmond park too:001_cool: