Kretzschmaria or Hypoxylon

[benedmonds]

I was quite happy with a diagnosis of Kretzscmaria then google showed me pics of Hypoxylon and the lack of any young white and grey made me have second thoughts... On a Beech Tree.

[sloth]

Hypoxylon fragiforme methinks...

[benedmonds]

Hypoxylon fragiforme methinks...

 

There are no ostioles visible..? Does that make a difference?

[benedmonds]

Any other views?

[daltontrees]

It's a bit rubbish to disagree with other peoples' suggestions when I don't have a better suggestion myself, but I amn't really seeing the Hypoxolon fragiformis thing. The texture appears wrong for it to be any ascomycete I can think of, due as you say to lack of ostioles. There are numerous ascomycetes that look dotty, and almost as many that are associated with beech, but only on thoroughly dead wood. This tree I am guessing is still standing and has largely intact bark, and not in the thoroughly dead class.

 

It may be just slime flux. te first picture looks like exudate. Thr rouhg bark may be consistent with bark boring such as Cryptococcus. There may even be post-flux exit holes through it. The second picture is less convincing, but on ahighly specuative basis these hemispheres of grey material may be congealing individual droplets of flux. I could just about convince myself the bark is punctured in that area anyway.

 

Context is all. If thi is all that is wrong with the tree and it is in other respects functioning, it could perhaps do with a scrub to assist monitoring but that's all. if the tree is dying, whatever this stuff is I expect is secondary to the main problem.

 

 

I'd say for the avoidance of doubt that it is definetely not K. deusta.