Fungi ID please

[Blackbrook Eye]

No, I am not being idle, I have trawled every entry in the fungii gallery and cant find anything remotely like it, it was about 40 mm. across, please help.
By the way, I have had to re-size the picture, as I first got 'image excedes file size limit' error warning first time, so there is still a limit on file sizes to the forum and unidentified sections, I just thought I would mention this as there seems to be some confusion, reading other posts where this has been mentioned.

[PMG]

I think its a young Inonotus dryadeus?

Pauline

[NickCantle]

Definitely a good suggestion Pauline. Let's wait for the Pros for confirmation

[Leif]

I'm not a pro, but I agree on the genus, as the red drop towards the bottom of the picture looks like a guttation drop, consistent with Inonotus. As to it being I. dryadeus, I am not convinced as it looks too bright, and to my eye that does not look like an Oak tree. (I may be wrong on that.) Comments on one web site suggest it can occur on other trees, though I've only ever seen it on Oak.

Then there is Inonotus hispidus which starts out looking like Fistulina hepatica, but orange rather than red, exactly as per the photo. It grows on Ash, and less commonly other broadleaved trees. Is that a Conker tree? It has been almost 15 years since I have seen a young Inonotus hispidus, so someone else might be more familiar with it.

I've just found an example young one (left side, top picture):

Les Champignons : Inonotus hispidus, polypore hérissé, polypore hirsute , polypore hispide, Polyporus hispidus...

I think the French text is obvious to most here.

[Blackbrook Eye]

Sorry, should have mentioned, its on Ash and about eight feet from the ground.
I initially thought inonotus hispidus, as that was the nearest description in my Collins pocket guide, I would value your opinions better, as a field guide only shows a particular stage in the growth cycle and this can be misleading, to me anyway.

[Fungus Ken]

With the host being ash, I'd say Leif's suggestion of Inonotus hispidus is the more likely.

This is an annual species which can grow fairly quickly, so it would be worth going back in a couple of months and having another look to see if it has become hairy on top.

Ken

[Blackbrook Eye]

Many thanks to you all, yet again, I never cease to be amazed at the amount of knowledge available on this site, and it seems the little Collins guide was not so far out. I shall be returning to the site shortly, for other reasons, and will have a look to see what has transpired.

[watsthat]

Originally Posted by Blackbrook Eye

Sorry, should have mentioned, its on Ash and about eight feet from the ground.
I initially thought inonotus hispidus, as that was the nearest description in my Collins pocket guide, I would value your opinions better, as a field guide only shows a particular stage in the growth cycle and this can be misleading, to me anyway.

Are you sure its Ash. I thought Ash bark was more deeply grooved than that. The Americans call Dryaedus "weeping conk" and I still fancy that.

Cheers

pete

[Fungus Ken]

Originally Posted by watsthat

Are you sure its Ash. I thought Ash bark was more deeply grooved than that. The Americans call Dryaedus "weeping conk" and I still fancy that.

Cheers

pete

A couple of thoughts on your comments. The predominant host for Inonotus dryadeus is oak, which can have bark as deeply fissured as ash. According to the Basidiomycota Checklist, hosts other than oak for Inonotus dryadeus are not confirmed. The monograph on Polypores in the Fungi Europaei series (volume 10) gives known hosts as Quercus robur, Quercus cerris, Quercus petraea and Abies alba. I don't think the bark in the photo looks like oak, so Inonotus dryadeus seems unlikely.

Inonotus hispidus usually grows on ash but can have a very wide range of hosts eg I've seen it on cherry and horse chestnut. Even if the host isn't ash, it could still be this species.

In my experience the large brackets of Inonotus dryadeus tend to grow at the base of the tree rather than some distance up the trunk, while Inonotus hispidus brackets usually appear at some height, often well out of reach and high up on the trunk.

A number of brackets can exude droplets if the conditions are right, so this is not diagnostic for any particular species.

Ken

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Fungus Ken

In my experience the large brackets of Inonotus dryadeus tend to grow at the base of the tree rather than some distance up the trunk, while Inonotus hispidus brackets usually appear at some height, often well out of reach and high up on the trunk.

That is my experience too.