Rubbery stuff in Willow

[daltontrees]

I would be obliged to anyone that can help explain this.

 

We cut down a large multistemmed White Willow (Salix alba) recently. INside the butt along with a lot of decay wee a number of small fissures filled with a white dry rubberty substance, akin to set silica flexible sealant. It could be picked out in small bits. See pictures. Anyone know what it is, what it's for, how did it get there?

[David Humphries]

would think that's mycelium

 

 

has anything specific been noted to have fruited ?

 

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[RobArb]

Is that not just mycelium? ?

[treequip]

It is not uncommon in decayed willow.

 

It has the same consistency of the mycelial sheath that you find under the bark so I was always of the opinion that its compressed mycelia.

[David Humphries]

I would guess that its Laetiporus

 

Heres a cross section of Willow which has Laeti

 

 

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[daltontrees]

Thanks guys. The comparison with the shots of L.s on willow are pretty convincing. The tree in question I was subbing on, I turned up and stripped it and rigged it down in 2 days and have no idea about it's history. No fruiting present when I was there. Now that I think of it, the texture was not unlike the fruiting body of fungus. The pattern of decay seems consistent with L.s. Tree was leaning almost 30 degrees on the decay side, I wonder if early degradation and the compression had allowed internal cracks to develop, subsequently occupied by the fungus.

 

Oh well, I'm glad it's gone as it was a killer tree.