Collybia fusipes - Observations

[David Humphries]

The 'spindle shank' is a fungal species that has little recorded in text about it.

 

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[David Humphries]

Having looked at a couple of recent significant failures that had the fruit bodies associated with them, I decided to have a look through the books.

 

There are probably further references to consult but the following were at hand....

 

Diagnosis of ill-health in trees; Strouts & Winter

Fungi on Trees (an arborists field guide); Watson & Green

Principals of Tree Hazard Assessment and Management; Lonsdale

Tree Diseases and Disorders; Butin

 

The one thing the majority of these books have in common is to suggest that little is know of the decay type & that wind blown failures were rare.

 

S&W states that it rots the sapwood & kills roots of Quercus & Castanea.

W&G states that it affects roots of Quercus.

Lonsdale states that impares root function on Quercus.

Butin states that it damages roots, bark & can cause a butt rot.

 

Gerrit Keiser (Dutch mycologist) believes the decay to be simultaneous white rot.

 

 

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[sean]

I was wondering about htis the other day David. Why is it do you think that there seems to be little intensive research done with regards this fungi?

[David Humphries]

The recent strong winds toppled a full canopied veteran oak that we were aware of having C. fusipes associated

 

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[sloth]

Buggered if I know! It does seem odd though, as it is a widespread, easily recognised fungi...

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Arbtalk mobile app

[David Humphries]

I was wondering about htis the other day David. Why is it do you think that there seems to be little intensive research done with regards this fungi?

 

Perhaps fruit bodies were not present at the time of failure in examples where wind blow had occured & that the primary agent was given as 'other'

 

Leading to there being few records of the occurence

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[David Humphries]

Having looked at a couple of recent significant failures that had the fruit bodies associated with them, I decided to have a look through the books.

 

& a closer look at a known standing (reduced) oak, that we had seen fruit bodies on.

 

So we got the airspade out.......

 

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[sean]

Forest Research - Collybia root rot

 

This is quite interesting too

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953756208613088

Edited November 3, 2014 by sean
adding content

[David Humphries]

So we got the airspade out.......

 

this was just an opportunity to have a look at a few of the buttress roots around a portion of the root crown.

 

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[David Humphries]

So we got the airspade out.......

 

although one of these buttresses had a significant girdling root, (which possibly has an effect on the vascular flow & impared this root) the decay below ground in the sectors we excavated was pretty extensive.

 

 

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