Lime trees

[jjll]

Hi,

A question to anyone who can educate me. Sorry no photos but will see if I can get some.

I have been doing some work in a small woodland area on the boundary of a property. There are quite a few large lime trees on the edge of the wood and I have noticed that at least 3 or 4 have orange fruiting fungus on the stems aprox 20ft up. From looking at the fungi app I have I'd them as Flammulina velutipes,( going from what I could see on the ground)

Previously last year when I went to look at the work, the lime trees didn't look in the best of health, I was wandering if the Flammulina velutipes was likely to increase the chances of mechanical failure. Or like the app says just feeds off the dead wood. Only because the fruiting bodies are on the main stem and arnt obviously dead.I'm guessing if the trees are suffering anyway from something else, this could just add to it? And I should be looking for something else?

 

Any info would be appreciated,

 

Cheers

[David Humphries]

If it is Flammulina, i tend to see it as secondary issue on branches and trunks.

 

Perhaps look out for something like Armillaria or even lightning damage creating a seem of dysfunction up/down the trunk.

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

If it is Flammulina, i tend to see it as secondary issue on branches and trunks.

 

Perhaps look out for something like Armillaria or even lightning damage creating a seem of dysfunction up/down the trunk.

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

I will buy that for a dollar, dont rule out Pholiota squarosus too although at this time of year Flamulina AKA the winter mushroom is the obvious choice.

[jjll]

Thanks for the replies.

I managed to get some pics today so I thought I would upload them. Backtracking from what I said in the last post, not all but most of the branches with the fruiting bodies on don't look in the best of health, some more so than others. The was also a lot of black residue on the bark and again more so on stems with the fungus.

 

Cheers again

[jjll]

Pic 2

[jjll]

Pic 3,

[JonnyVine]

This is an anamorph of psilocybe semilancata, aka the halfwit fungus, we can not rule out melanophyllum haematospermum but these all died out in august so the only point me mentioning it is to show other readers that I am familliar with the mame.

 

Let us look at this anamorph, we can see the membranous velar remnants on the floccose margin making this saprotrophic with campanulate caps and highly fluid active sporulatory, fibrilose appendiculate lameliform with labyrinthine slantingly denate or tiered on perpendicular substrates

 

So what does this tell us if we look at the way the fibers are laying? The tree is becomming "disscontinued"!

[Paul Barton]

This is an anamorph of psilocybe semilancata, aka the halfwit fungus, we can not rule out melanophyllum haematospermum but these all died out in august so the only point me mentioning it is to show other readers that I am familliar with the mame.

 

Let us look at this anamorph, we can see the membranous velar remnants on the floccose margin making this saprotrophic with campanulate caps and highly fluid active sporulatory, fibrilose appendiculate lameliform with labyrinthine slantingly denate or tiered on perpendicular substrates

 

So what does this tell us if we look at the way the fibers are laying? The tree is becomming "disscontinued"!

 

This did make me chuckle, but it's not much help to the OP is it?!

[Paul Barton]

Thanks for the replies.

I managed to get some pics today so I thought I would upload them. Backtracking from what I said in the last post, not all but most of the branches with the fruiting bodies on don't look in the best of health, some more so than others. The was also a lot of black residue on the bark and again more so on stems with the fungus.

 

Cheers again

 

The photos do look like Flammulina velutipes. As David has already said (which Lonsdale agrees with) it tends to be a secondary pathogen so a more detailed look at the trees is probably worthwhile.

 

I can't say I have a lot of experience of seeing failed limbs/trees with this fungus present, and Lonsdale also says "little is known" of the type of decay.

 

What's the 'target area' around the trees? Are they valuable in terms of visual amenity? Perhaps a heavy reduction to remove the affected parts would be a way forward?

[JonnyVine]

This did make me chuckle, but it's not much help to the OP is it?!

 

I'm not too sure Paul, what about if it makes him chuckle too?