Unidentified fungus found on dead Oak, Unknown Antrodia species

[hen]

Hello,

I've joined this forum tonight to try and get this mushroom identified:

Unidentified Antrodia fungi - Wild About Britain Pics

It's growing on a dead oak in an Exmoor woodland on a West slope at about 100m.

There are about 4 fruiting bodies NW to SW on the trunk (none on the north side) The largest measuring about 15cm wide.


Look forward to your suggestions!

Warmest wishes,
hen


stockwood.heartandsoil.org

[CapAndBracket]

Welcome to WAB,
Your specimen looks like Phellinus ferreus, looking quite unlike many book examples as it is on a near vertical surface.

Cheers J.P.

[diggleken]

Welcome to WAB hen!
Cant help you though, I did make a bid via the web and found 98 Antrodia species entries!
Antrodia /datronia mollis can be brownish on top, so maybe?
It looks quite a tired old specimen, maybe revisit during the year?
Sorry
Cheers
Ken

[fairplay]

Hello Hen,

A big Hi to you from moi, I can well understand why Antrodia came into your head (and mine !) as the form is absolutely right, the problem though is most Antrodia spp. occur on conifers in Britain, and of the few that can be found on deciduous trees, only a couple (Antrodia albida and A. vaillantii) are known from Quercus.

Therefore, I suspect JP is correct with his suggestion of Phellinus ferreus or maybe something similar, as colour is correct, Quercus would be right (esp' dead) and the change of 'form' due to growing vertical, is a sound prognosis.
(Cor blimey, that sounds posh, I ain't really !)

Neil.

[hen]

Thank you for your great suggestions!

I passed them on to the Woodland Trust officer that showed an interest in the funghus originally. He responded saying that if it was a Phellinus ferreus that old, it would have completely destroyed the timber underneath.

Here's a new photograph from a different angle which sort of shows what the timber looks like:




I'll get some better pics of the timber this weekend.


Thanks again!
hen

[mollisia]

Hello,

I also think that only Phellinus is possible. At least the genus should be easily to clarify microscopically. Besides Ph. ferreus (that I have never seen) may be Ph. ferruginosus is also a possibility?

best regards,
Andreas

[fairplay]

Looking at your new photo tells me it will be standing for a few more years to come as it has grown some feet or boots to support it or is that a shy Woodland Trust officer ?

Anyway, Andreas all the way from Jena in Germany agrees this is Phellinus, but it is uncertain if it is P.ferreus or P.ferruginosus.
Sometimes it is possible to seperate the two by the size of the pores, but to be certain you need to measure the spore size.

Neil.