Fungi on Oak

[wwood]

Hi All, could someone help me id this bracket? Found on mature oak. I suspect its inonotus dryadeus. Many thanks,

 

Will

[David Humphries]

Looks like it to me

 

Have you got any close ups of the flesh/tube layer?

 

 

 

 

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[BigfootBjornson]

Looks more like old fistulina to me. Inonotus dryadeus common on Quercus illex. Close up pics would defo be useful. Look at the stalk, very similar to fistulina.

[Kveldssanger]

A beefsteak would probably have fallen away, no? My first hunch was Pseudoinonotus dryadeus or Ganoderma resinaceum, with a leaning to the former because of the atop texture (the rippled and mottled greeny surface).

[Steve Bullman]

so 4 ID's for one fungi then! Not sure who to put my money on

[David Humphries]

so 4 ID's for one fungi then! Not sure who to put my money on

 

Put ya money on the piebald nag at the back

 

 

 

 

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[wwood]

Thanks for your input everyone. I suspect fistulina hepatica would probably have degraded significantly more if it was in fact a beefsteak. I unfortunately don't have any close-ups as I got given this picture by a colleague. At any rate, would it be safe to say that the main stem is significantly compromised judging from the extent of the bracket? Will

[Andrew Gale]

Inonotus dryadeus for me; difficult to say re the condition of the stem without seeing it in it's bigger context.

[David Humphries]

............difficult to say re the condition of the stem without seeing it in it's bigger context.

 

 

Agree with Andrew

 

Condition of tree and its context to its setting is needed.

 

I've seen the aftermath of big sheltered veteran oaks that have collapsed where the decay of dryadeus is at height

 

 

and have seen exposed mature oaks with long term basal colonisation of dryadeus survive and continue to thrive.

 

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[wwood]

I believe the tree in question is in a low frequency area and as such the risk of tree failure isn't such an issue.

 

On the subject of visual assessment, is there any way to tell the extent of internal decay based purely on the extent of bracket growth? When is it acceptable to label a tree safe in a high frequency area, where drayadeus is found at the base but all other factors indicate that the tree is sound?