Fungus

And then there is the traditional "striking of a match" test for Ganoderma pfeifferi, which sparkles with tiny flames from the yellow crust underneath the reddish surface like a crushed orange peel does too, and for Fomitopsis pinicola with melting and blackening of the resin in the surface crust when touched by the match's flame.

Although I can't check the diagnosis and prognosis of the tree, my armchair opinion would be, that all revitalising efforts will come too late and the tree is lost, because the symbionts will not return in time to keep the roots from further dehydration and protect them from attacks from fungal parasites, which probably already have invaded the living and/or dead tissues of the roots.

Who's we ? See : Latin names. So like it or lump it .

On top of the root (and soil) compaction and dehydration, the problem is caused by a lack of oxygen, which causes the death of (the mycelia of) the endomycorrhizal microfungi, which need 20 % more oxygen then the tree roots do, after which the tree suffers from a lack of water and nutrients and the roots go unprotected against drought and invasions of (fungal) parasites, such as Armillaria species and Heterobasidion annosum.

David, In The Netherlands, we have found a solution for this problem. For registration, we use different species specific numbers for (microscopical) s.s. (sensu stricto) and (macroscopical) s.l. (sensu lato) identified species. So Chlorociboria aeruginascens s.s. is 576.01.0, C. aeruginosa s.s. is 576.02.0 and C. aeruginosa s.l., incl. C. aeruginascens is 576.02.9.

Rob, Correct .

Tony, At your service, see : Chemicals and reagens.

A short list of the chemicals and reagens used to identify macrofungi macroscopically. - KOH (caustic potash) and NaOH (caustic soda) 20 % or 2-5 % : Hapalopilus rutilans, Fomes fomentarius, Corticiaceae, Ramaria species, Cortinarius species, trama of Russula species, milk of Lactarius species. - H2SO4 60-70 % (sulphur acid) : Ramaria species. - NH3 25 % (ammonia) : Cortinarius species. - HNO3 65 % (nitric acid) : Agaricus species. - C6H5OH 2 % (phenol) : trama of Russula species, milk of Lactarius species. - FeSO2 (crystal) : trama of Russula species, milk of Lactarius species. - Guajak tincture : trama of Russula species, milk of Lactarius species. - Melzers reagens : mostly used microscopically for amyloid reaction of spores of basidiomycetes (Agaricales), for the J+ reaction of asci of operculate ascomycetes, such as Peziza species and for the dextrinoid reaction of spores or hyphae of basidiomycetes (Agaricales).

This could well be the whitish to cream coloured Fuligo septica var. candida.

Glyde, If you scratch the pores with your finger nail and the scratches blacken within some to several hours or a day while drying, you're 100 % sure it's Meripilus giganteus. And as far as I know, there is no documentation of its effect on Q. ilex.

Stephen, Yes there is, see the tumors or tubercules causing mycelium of Phellinus tuberculosus.

Just as is the case with the 100 % certain identification of Ganoderma lipsiense and G. australe, which only is valid after checking the spore size, the 100 % identification of either Xylaria longipes or X. polymorpha can only be done by using the microscope and not by evaluating it's macroscopical morphology. So yes, X. longipes is sometimes found on other substrates then Acer, but how many of these identifications are valid, because they have been checked microscopically and how many are false, because the observer thought, he could distinguish X. longipes from X. polymorpha by its morphological characteristics ? For example : I documented X. polymorpha 7 times from Acer, but only after I checked the material microscopically, because from its macroscopical properties I could not determine whether it was X. longipes or X. polymorpha. And the same goes for many other species with look-a-likes, which only can be identified by their microscopical features. I once checked 50 herbarium collections of K. deusta, with the result, that 8 of them were of 3 other (saprotrophic) species. So then one starts wondering what happened to the trees they were collected from.

Just as the Latin names do, polymorpha meaning with (lots of) different shapes or forms and longipes meaning with an elongated foot or base.

1. All terms used in this context, including positive, negative, neutral, benificial, saprobiotic, pathogenic and symbiotic, are examples of anthropomorphism, i.e. attribution of characteristics assumed to only belong to humans to non-human organisms. 2. Strictly symbiotic relationships do not exist, because they just are a temporary state of balance (equilibrium) in a co-parasitic relationship between two organisms and symbiosis is not benificial by nature, as it is considered to be pathological in relationships among nuclear family members in system therapy.

Excuse me for my poor understanding of the English language .

X. longipes is restricted to Acer, so unless there is Acer around, this is X. polymorpha. And for some of the other unidentified species, I would suggest : Photo 7/8 : Russula ochroleuca. Photo 9/10 : teleomorphs of Xylaria hypoxylon. Photo 19/20 : Russula olivaceoviolascens (= R. atrorubens).

Tony, I'm familiar with the mindless stupid "hhhuuuhhh" uttering cartoon movie dog .

Which is the proper substrate for T. furfuracea s.l.

Rob, Because the wine would slowly leak out because of the low density, i.e. the relatively wide pores and porous walls of the cells of the wood.

On dead wood ? If so, maybe Tubaria furfuracea s.l.

Nothing, as long as you don't make wine casks out of it.

Tony, No problem .

Rob mentioned the tree genus (and species) being Crataegus (monogyna).

Rob, 1. Definitely L. sulphureus causing brown rot of the central wood column. 2. By the horizontal position of the tree in the last picture ?

The Germans also knew there way with marquetry, as you can see in the Cathedral of Trier.