What is this?

[willjones]

Saw this on a sycamore today,could anyone ident what it is for me.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Saw this on a sycamore today,could anyone ident what it is for me.

 

Hi Will, I would generally describe this as a 'canker' but it could be referred to as a bud proliferation too...I think.

 

In my experience, whilst I have seen it on Sycamore, I have ore commonly seen it, or something very similar, on the Red Chestnut (Aesculus carnea) where it sometimes completely girdles the stem causing cambium dysfunction and associated decay which can result in stem failure...and often did during storms.

 

Still, not sure how that compares on Sycamore so let's wait until someone more knowledgeable comes along and enlightens us both.

 

Cheers..

Paul

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

some kind of bark proliferation, something disrupting normal tissue development, could be fungal or bacterial, maybe even nematodes, when I have my scopes I will know more about these weird things that nobody seems to have 100% certainty on.

 

basically I have no idea, but I just got funding for my scopes sorted, so maybe soon I can give you a better idea, AND a much closer view of the internal workings of such fascinating features!!

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

some kind of bark proliferation, something disrupting normal tissue development, could be fungal or bacterial, maybe even nematodes, when I have my scopes I will know more about these weird things that nobody seems to have 100% certainty on.

 

basically I have no idea, but I just got funding for my scopes sorted, so maybe soon I can give you a better idea, AND a much closer view of the internal workings of such fascinating features!!

 

PHEW...don't feel quite so 'inadequate' now

 

Cheers Tony

Paul

[daltontrees]

some kind of bark proliferation, something disrupting normal tissue development, could be fungal or bacterial, maybe even nematodes, when I have my scopes I will know more about these weird things that nobody seems to have 100% certainty on.

 

basically I have no idea, but I just got funding for my scopes sorted, so maybe soon I can give you a better idea, AND a much closer view of the internal workings of such fascinating features!!

 

I am intrigied, sir. What are these scopes to which you refer? Do you mean microscopes? If so, I would be happy to swop notes with you as I am a dabbler myself but have hit the buffers on thin-sectioning due to lack of knowledge on how to soften woody structures without damaging their detail.

[daltontrees]

I woudl justy add the possibility of viral infection, basically dysfunction due to mutation of cells and then rapid proliferation, very like cancer.

[treeseer]

Agreed re bud proliferation, indeterminate cause. A light probing should confirm lack of dead tissue, so it's strictly speaking not a canker. "3.5 canker area of dead cambium and overlying tissues killed by a pathogen" (the ISA def is 'sunken dead area') Treatment suggested might be to keep that fork above clean, and monitor. You don't want to treat it like a canker:

 

8.5 Cankers

Where an active canker has developed around an injury, and if treatment

would be of benefit either in reducing the expansion of the canker or in

reducing the production of inoculum, the dead tissues and a surrounding

margin of apparently healthy bark should be removed with a sharp

blade. Sufficient healthy bark should be left intact to maintain adequate

translocation of sap.

Wood should generally not be removed in order to eliminate a canker

pathogen. Such action may, however, be attempted according to

specialist advice if it is ascertained that the pathogen is one of a number

that can spread in the outermost part of the sapwood.

Care should be taken to avoid the transmission of pathogens (see 4.3)."

 

viewed from abroad, it's strange to see UK standards outlining a simple step that is often needed, but seldom done, in the UK or anywhere.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I am intrigied, sir. What are these scopes to which you refer? Do you mean microscopes? If so, I would be happy to swop notes with you as I am a dabbler myself but have hit the buffers on thin-sectioning due to lack of knowledge on how to soften woody structures without damaging their detail.

 

indeed, microscopes, If you are really interested I will dig out the relevant procedures from a book Ive got and will be going through soon as im all set up, was one of those ridiculously expensive reference books, you know the sort!

 

I woudl justy add the possibility of viral infection, basically dysfunction due to mutation of cells and then rapid proliferation, very like cancer.

 

agreed also:001_smile:

[daltontrees]

indeed, microscopes, If you are really interested I will dig out the relevant procedures from a book Ive got and will be going through soon as im all set up, was one of those ridiculously expensive reference books, you know the sort!QUOTE]

 

Please please do, I would love help. I have nearly destroyed my microtome making a section of Dawn Redwood (my first), after which I wimped out and moved on to Aucuba.

 

By the way, if you haven't already got your microscope I would strongly recommend a petrological one, firstly the rotating stage is priceless, secondly the polariser is useful for showing up pleochrism and thirdly the crossed polars will show up cellulose and in some cases the hollowing of cell walls by soft rotters in a way that no other light source will.

[daltontrees]

Tony, you or I should start a thread on trees uinder the microscope. I would have done it a while ago but I thought I was the only saddo on Arbtalk who would look at it.