Bartley Heath, Hants - 09/04/08

[Leif]

Originally Posted by mykonik

Yes, Leif the spores would be a useful thing to measure - the one problem there is that it is very difficult to ever find any in Phellinus species generally, since they seem only to have very short periods when they are fertile !

I always have that problem with brackets.

I managed to get some spores recently from Phellinus ferreus, thankfully as I wanted some photos of common species. It took a fair while of searching the slide for spores though, and I did not get many.

[CapAndBracket]

Close up of small section showing the shelf like (could you call it brackets) that are scattered all over the specimen, it seems to be showing shrinkage cracks now, i gess due to dessication over winter, i'm hopping it will resume growth as the year progresses but could be wrong.

This is on a steep slope and it sure is difficult to get a picture using two hands to hold scale guide and camera above head (its over 2 metres above ground) and gess at what is in the frame.

Cheers J.P.

[mykonik]

Originally Posted by CapAndBracket

Now i'm going to have to find time to go back and get a sample of that one unless cybershot gets there before me

On unidentified phellinus i have had my eye on this one for some time.



It's on corylus (Hazel) and is over 4 feet in length along the near horizontal branch.

Cheers J.P.

I think that you will find this to be either Phellinus ferreus or the closely related Phellinus ferruginosus JP !

Both very common but hugely mixed up diagnostically - they are different microscopically with regard to various measurements / features.

Both form resupinate basidiomes, hazel is a very common host (as is hawthorn when it occurs in thickets, not usually on single trees !) and the 'brackets' occur in both.

I think they (the brackets) are formed as a response or at least influenced by, the normally resupinate basidome forming on a vertical bit of substrate (ie trunk or side of a branch) where it would be difficult to shed spores due to the pore surface forming facing effectively sideways.

So the brackets are formed on the side, with the pores facing vertically down so the spores can be shed via the pores !!

Fungi ain't stupid one feels !!

Nick

[CapAndBracket]

Again many thanks nick, i hope this is helping WABers as much as me in illuminating the variability in form of many species. (well outside what we see in books).
The reason for forming brackets on vertical surfaces makes logical sense and perhaps illustrates the evolutionary route of bracket fungi in general.

If it turns out to be either suggested species i shall be pleased, so will leave alone for now and see if regrowth occurs, Autumn being best chance of sending of a sample that may contain spores.

Cheers J.P.