Suspected Ganoderma sp. on Alnus rubra

[Kveldssanger]

Access to this windthrown Alnus ruba (red alder) was a bit of an issue – it sat in the middle of a pond! Granted, it was frozen at the time, though I wasn’t about to chance my luck by walking across. It hadn’t been that cold the night before, frankly (only minus 4 degrees Celsius).

 

I had initially tried to zoom in with my camera to get a good photo, but was limited to only a distant capture of the fungal brackets (which I suspect are Ganoderma applanatum judging by morphology, though I cannot be certain). In a brief moment of absolute intelligence that has probably exhausted supplies for the remainder of this year, I put my camera’s lens up to my binoculars and, after a good few tries, managed to get a decent enough photo. The results are below.

 

Catastrophic failure near the base of the stem has lead to some younger sprouts becoming dominant. On the remaining stump, many sporophores of suspected Ganoderma applanatum can be identified. This was as close as my camera could get, in terms of zooming in.

 

Bring out the binoculars! Not a bad image, if I am honest. We can clearly see multiple growth increemnts on the largest of the brackets.

 

Cropping the above image to zoom into the sporophore region, its morphology certainly becomes evident. From this image in particular, I am inclined to settle at least with Ganoderma sp.

[David Humphries]

Good use of the Bino's, but I'd of slapped on me torvil & deans and skated across there

 

Would agree these are from the Ganoderma complex, but unless you go that extra mile and get up close and personal it's always gonna be hard to try and determine which species they are.

 

Perhaps spend the afternoon making one of these

 

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[Kveldssanger]

Hah! It was either that or levitating across the water, and I'm not too adept at either.

 

It may be wiser, and perhaps more economical, to invest in a better camera (akin to one you have). Or, bring on that weather from New York and I'll walk across!

 

That photo really doesn't do either the butt or the bracket justice - they're both rather massive. That alder was one big tree.