Rhizomorphs / Armillaria on Oak.

[John Hancock]

Super pictures David, great to see them both together!

[David Humphries]

Airspading an Oak butress a few days ago to indicate where the root system was heading, in relation to an adjacent property development, (RPA type gig)

 

Came across rhizomorphs on seemingly intact & functioning part of root system.

 

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[Tilia]

Jeezo! Some of these pictures of the rhizomorphs are amazing, I've never seen anything like it. Especially spread out on a Land Rover!

 

I've read that the largest living organism in the world is an Armillaria species in Oregon, and a quick internet search revealed this:

 

Strange but True: The Largest Organism on Earth Is a Fungus: Scientific American

 

Pretty amazing stuff.

 

PS. I don't comment on the fungal threads you lot post (there's certain common culprits!) but I'm one of those closet mycologists who reads them all!

[David Humphries]

PS. I don't comment on the fungal threads you lot post (there's certain common culprits!) but I'm one of those closet mycologists who reads them all!

 

 

Well by my reckoning, you just have

 

 

welcome to the mad house Tilia

 

 

 

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[Tilia]

Well by my reckoning, you just have

 

 

welcome to the mad house Tilia

 

 

 

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Glad to join you all!

 

On a serious note, as an arboriculture student it's a great way to learn by watching and reading the tree health threads that appear on the forum. Next action is to go out and find the various fungi for myself!

[Alinicoll]

David, would you say that was A. mellea or galica?

 

At the recent forest health days done by thr FC they had a number of trees airspaded and found A. galica on most of them.

[David Humphries]

David, would you say that was A. mellea or galica?

 

At the recent forest health days done by thr FC they had a number of trees airspaded and found A. galica on most of them.

 

That's interesting Al, I didn't pick up on that when attended Santon Downham (but then maybe I should have stayed all afternoon, instead of sneaking out to the woods to go hunt the fung )

 

I really don't know the answer to your Q tbh, haven't seen it fruit on this Oak, so not in a position to base an I'd on my scetchy rhizomorph knowledge :

I would think perhaps, that these are of one of the less virile species of Armilaria. Basing that on the good vascular condition of the host tree.

 

 

perhaps Gerrit could offer an insight?

 

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[Alinicoll]

It was suggested that mellea has very thin rhizomorphs whilst thicker ones were suggested in this case to be galica, but that may be site specific. It would be interesting to get confirmation.

 

As I recall, the suggestion was that galica is often present around healthy trees waiting for opportunities.

[Fungus]

It was suggested that mellea has very thin rhizomorphs whilst thicker ones were suggested in this case to be gallica, but that may be site specific. It would be interesting to get confirmation. As I recall, the suggestion was that galica is often present around healthy trees waiting for opportunities.

 

Al & David,

1. Armillaria species can not be distinguised by the diameter of their rhizomorphs.

2. That must be waiting for dead wood to become exposed and available then, because Armillaria lutea (= A. gallica/bulbosa) is considered to be a saprotrophic species.

[David Humphries]

Thanks Gerrit

 

 

Just read this from "forestpathology.com"........

 

 

A. borealis - Rhizomorph branching dichotomous

 

A. calvescens - Rhizomorph branching monopodial

 

A. cepistipes - Rhizomorphs abundant; branching monopodial

 

A. gallica - Rhizomorphs large (up to 5 mm diameter) and abundant; branching monopodial

 

A. luteobubalina - Rhizomorphs absent or sparse

 

A. ostoyae - Rhizomorphs usually thin, delicate and sparse; branching dichotomous.

 

 

 

A. mellea - (Nothing listed about rhizomorphs) ???

 

 

 

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