Total (fungi) newbie trying to identify a bracket fungus

[jfc]

Hi,

 

I have been asked to prune a large, very old (100yr+) flowering cherry, however I noticed these fruiting bodies at the base of the tree. Please find photos attached. The fruiting bodies were about the width of my fist.

 

I have a fungi photo guide and my guess is that they may be Ganoderma pfeifferi , but that is based soley on it looking a bit like them.

 

I would be very grateful of any advice as to exactly what species they may be and the likely effect this will have on the tree.

 

Thanks.

 

jan.

[Alinicoll]

It's probably Ganoderma australe or applanatum. Pfeifferi has a waxy crust which you can scratch a yellowish waxy substance from, it is far less common than the other two.

[Kveldssanger]

Looks like Ganoderma applanatum, though without putting spores under the microscope we cannot conclusively say whether it's that or Ganoderma australe. Basically, what Ali said.

 

Honestly, it's always one of the Hampstead Heath lot that grabs the first post. Probably got some algorithm that alerts them to new fungi threads! Haha.

[Kveldssanger]

In terms of the impact on the tree, I remember Ali saying G. australe may be more parasitic than G. applanatum. They're largely both heartwood rotters however, though G. australe can breach into the sapwood more readily given its more parasitic nature. Therefore, there's a chance this cherry could decline in health, though perhaps not. The sporophore (conk) looks to be in between two buttresses, or within a 'wound' / depression, so it may have been contained already, and the fungi has begun to expend its resources locally available to it and is thus seeking an exit strategy.

 

Decay by either can be contained, and reaction growth is observed and sufficient in some cases. Of course, a 100+ yr old cherry means its vigour is likely reduced, and I don't know how much longer it would have as that's certainly a very mature tree.

 

Sound it with Thor's Hammer (nylon hammer) and assess how exposed the tree is, what its targets are, and so on. If it's not much of a risk to anything significant, monitor it. Else, consider other options, though always consider felling only as the last option (assuming money over the longer term isn't an issue).

Edited March 17, 2016 by Kveldssanger

[jfc]

Ali -Thanks for the help with the i.d.

Kveldssanger -That's very useful info. I will try sounding it. It is in a garden but near a footpath, I can have another look at it and do a bit of a risk assessment.

 

I wouldn't want to fell it unless absolutely necessasry, as the client seems really keen on the tree too.

[David Humphries]

....Honestly, it's always one of the Hampstead Heath lot that grabs the first post. Probably got some algorithm that alerts them to new fungi threads! Haha.

 

Probably

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lake]

Reg. first pic, would you consider the margin of the underside a bit big for Ganoderma applanatum?

Edited March 18, 2016 by Lake

[Kveldssanger]

Potentially, though the second pic was what suggested it would more likely be applanatum, in my eyes.

[Alinicoll]

I'm not sure that you can distinguish appl/aus apart from macroscopic features alone. Where confirmation is required only DNA analysis or spore analysis would give a result I'd fully trust.

 

As Kveldssanger has said its the residual wall and vitality of the tree that are key.

 

Remember that whilst australe has been shown to breach reaction zones in vitro and applanatum has not, the same may not be true in a living tree with very functional vessels. The more we understand, the more complicated things become I find.

[Alinicoll]

Honestly, it's always one of the Hampstead Heath lot that grabs the first post. Probably got some algorithm that alerts them to new fungi threads! Haha.

 

There's a term in my contract that states if I don't ID a certain quota of fungus per annum I have to sit in the corner for a week wearing the Fomes hat!