Fungus

The surface of the cap lacks the concentric rings of fibrillose (dark) brown scales, which are characteristic for P. squamosus.

1. Only the exudates of Quercus robur smell and taste sour, because of the "vinegar" acids. The fluids from Q. robur and beech have no distinct smell or taste and the exudates of Acer, Platanus and Betula smell and taste rather sweet. Besides, apart from taste and smell, there is the ELISA test for identifying Phytophthora. 2. Because the Phytophthora oomycete changes the composition of the cambium fluid and the mycelium and/or rhizomorphs of Armillaria don't because they just block the transport in cambium and sapwood. 3. Most of them survive, but are in poor condition (partial defoliation) and become vulnerable for attacks of other parasites. Because infection with P. ramorum is associated with the massive deposition of ammonia on bark and leaves of trees from the everywhere present maize fields, there is no policy on removing infected trees. And do bear in mind, that contrary to what some sources state, a P. ramorum infection is not the same as Sudden Oak Death, a disease which still is not documented from The Netherlands. 4. Yes, although small wounds facilitate infection of the tree with spores. Also see my album Rhizomorphs Armillaria.

Although I also would like to see a pore shot of both specimen, I think it's three times P. tuberaster.

Will, 1. I've monitored this tree for 4 years now and the assessment started with black Armillaria plaques being present in the vertical wound after the bark came off. Because of the position of the tree, it could not have been mechanically damaged and the diagnosis of bark necrosis followed after the tree had in vain tried to close the wound with callus from aside. Besides, this is one of the several hundreds of oaks, both Q. rubra and Q. robur, infected by (the rhizomorphs of) a parasitic Armillaria species, with all oaks (and many other tree species) always starting with bleeding of soon blackening cambium fluid from leakage spots on the trunk before other symptoms become manifest. The at first foamy whitish leakage of Q. robur is often visited by flies, wasps, hornets and butterflies (photo 1). It can be distinguished from Phytophthera by its acid smell and taste, the visits payed by the earlier mentioned insects and the typically shaped cracks in the bark and cambium from which its flows. Every tree species has its own species specific reaction pattern. Photo 2 shows the pattern on Quercus robur, photo 3 on Acer and photo 4 the leakage spots on Aesculus. 2. No need, in The Netherlands on oak and beech it always is P. ramorum. ---

Geoff, Great pictures . And the spider is a female Enoplognatha ovata, of which the male looks like this :

Scott, It does with the addition, that the marginal necrosis is of the wound tissue (callus), with which the tree tried to repair and close the shallow open wound in the sapwood and the cambium.

Not compensated, but overcompensated to the extent of becoming vulnerable for wind throw (sideways) and/or collaps (weight of the tree).

This is what abnormal bark throw, caused by an infection of the cambium with a pathogen, underneath normal bark flaking on Acer looks like. ---

This morning I monitored about 300 60-80 years old Quercus rubra and Q. robur alongside old sand roads. Photo 1 : Extreme buckling on Q. rubra after an infection with Laetiporus sulphureus brown rotting the central wood. Photo 2 : Bark necrosis on Q. rubra caused by (rhizomorphs of) a parasitic Armillaria species. Photo 3. Phytophthora on Quercus robur. ---

Rob, One of the many Mycena species.

An old, possibly Irish joke I found in Failed God by John Rush. Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden, naming animals and smelling flowers, when God approached and said : "I have some good news and some bad news, which would you like to hear first ?" Adam looked at the face in the sky and replied : "Tell me the good news first." The voice paused for a moment and then spoke : "I'm going to give you a penis and a brain. From the first you will derive great pleasure and from the second you will acquire great intellect." Adam stood shocked, not quite grasping the situation, but at the same time assuming that getting things was good. "Cool man ! Bitchin' ! Awesome ! ... but what's the bad news ?" God paused again, realizing that sometimes things go wrong in the workshop. "Well," he began, "I'm only going to give you enough blood supply to work one at the time."

List of endo- and ectomycorrhizal tree species.

In striving for the unattainable we prevent the realisation of the possible (Robert Ardrey).

No, but I can give you a short list. - Ectomycorrhizal : Quercus, Fagus, Betula (1), Populus, Salix (1), Alnus (1), Carpinus, Castanea, Tilia, Corylus, Nothofagus, Eucalyptus and Pinus, Picea, Abies, Larix and Pseudotsuga. - Mostly endomycorrhizal (1) in the pioneer phase of their life cycle and exclusively ectomycorrhizal in successive phases : Alnus, Betula and Salix. - Endo- and possibly also ectomycorrhizal with Entoloma species such as E. clypeatum : Crataegus (2) and E. saundersii : Ulmus (2). - Endomycorrhizal (2) : Acer, Fraxinus, Platanus, Aesculus, Ulmus, Prunus, Malus, Pyrus, Sorbus, Crataegus, Robinia, Acacia, Pterocarya, Ostrya, Gymnocladus, Ilex, Juglans, Gleditsia, Morus, Ailanthus, Ginkgo, Liriodendron, Sophora, Davidia, Catalpa, Magnolia, Zelkova, Paulownia, Rhododendron, Amelanchier, Laburnum, Tamarix, Cercis and other (exotic) deciduous and coniferous trees such as Taxus, Juniperus, Araucaria, Sequoia, Sequoiadendron, Metasequoia, Taxodium, Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cedrus and Cupressus. - Tree species specific type of mycorrhiza : Arbutus.

A website run by a retailer of commercial mycorrhiza products (granules, etc.), need I say more ?

Photo 5/11/13 : probably R. olivaceoviolascens (= R. atrorubens). Photo 7/8 : you can choose from species from the section Griseinae such as R. columbicolor, R. plumbeobrunnea or R. ionochlora and a wet R. parazurea or R. grisea. Photo 14 : probably Russula nigricans. Photo 15/16/17 : Lactarius chrysorrheus if the milk turns sulphur yellow on a white tissue or handkerchief. Photo 19 : Laccaria laccata s.l. ?

Dean, Can you enlighten me on this ? And were does this assumption come from (source) ?

Dean, See Endo- and ectomycorrhiza.

Without the smell and because of the association with oak, it can't be R. fellea or R. solaris (smell + beech) and R. claroflava (birch), so you'll have to consider species such as R. risigallina (= R. chamaeleontina var. lutea).

In The Netherlands, the effect (risk of wind throw) of M. giganteus om Quercus rubra is well documented, with panic fruiting of both the tree and the fungus after ten to fifteen years after the first brackets of M. giganteus turned up.

Scott, It certainly can, as is shown by certain Ulmus species being resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.

David, Ginkgo biloba is associated with endomycorrhizal microfungi, so the Scleroderma species must be fruiting from the root of another tree. I once found S. citrinum fruiting at the base of the trunk of an old Acer saccharinum, of which the mycelium turned out to be connected to a root of a Quercus rubra at a distance of 30 metres. The root had developed in this direction to collect rain water running down from the trunk of the Acer. The Russula on photo 6/7/8 probably is R. parazurea. With what tree species is the yellow Russula associated and did it smell like apple sauce from a tin can ?

A male and a female Large Red Damselfly preparing for it. Wonder what this position is called in the Kamasutra. ---

So how about this for a bit of Dutch humour on the subject then ?

Dean, Yes, there is and this is my opinion on the effects of using it.