Help with Trametes, please

[solus]

Well, I think they're Trametes...

Found on 14th July in a Cotswold Beechwood near Sheepscombe on a cut or fallen Beech log on the ground. Obviously fresh, they were a bit damp as it was drizzling occasionally between brighter spells and there had been steady prolonged rainfall during the previous 24 hours but, apart from that, it had been very dry for weeks. Sorry about the slightly out of focus image but I was using a small compact camera in fairly dark conditions under the trees and didn't want to switch the flash on and distort the colours - although with hindsight perhaps I should have done!

Anyway, they were thickish, sort of rubbery and with a soft feel to the upper surface a bit like suede. Unfortunately I didn't examine them as closely as I should and now I'm stuck! Are they just T. versicolor after all? Thanks for looking!



There was very little else about: I found some Ganoderma and Blackfoot Polypore and nothing growing out of the ground at all!

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi Solus,

Possibly Trametes hirsuta ? - The photo looks to fit the description in Phillips.

Regards,
Mike.

[SheffieldLass]

Trametes for me too.

But which one? I hate them when they are the colour of yours, or washed out and covered in algae (I don't mind it when they are blue, they're easy!). Walked past some the other day, decided to not waste my time coming to no conclusion ....

Melanie

[solus]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

Hi Solus,

Possibly Trametes hirsuta ? - The photo looks to fit the description in Phillips.

Regards,
Mike.

That thought had occurred to me but - Jordan describes it as "infrequent or rare", the new Collins guide as "occasional in England" and I can't find any photos on the Bioimages website.

Melanie: at least (whatever they are!) mine are nice and fresh, not washed out or faded.

If I was to go back and re-find them - just one log on a long (for us) circular woodland walk, so no guarantee I'd even spot them again as I don't recall exactly which part of the woods they were in - should I try to break one off and bring it home, and then what should I be looking for (no microscope)?

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by solus

That thought had occurred to me but - Jordan describes it as "infrequent or rare", the new Collins guide as "occasional in England" and I can't find any photos on the Bioimages website.

Melanie: at least (whatever they are!) mine are nice and fresh, not washed out or faded.

If I was to go back and re-find them - just one log on a long (for us) circular woodland walk, so no guarantee I'd even spot them again as I don't recall exactly which part of the woods they were in - should I try to break one off and bring it home, and then what should I be looking for (no microscope)?

Trametes versicolor and Trametes ochracea are very similar, more so than T versicolor and T hirsuta as the latter is quite downy/hairy on alternate zones when young (the other two are merely velvety). And even with the microscope the spores of T versicolor and T ochracea are too close for comfort for me, with T ochracea being just very slightly broader. Pores shape and size are again very similar. If there is any blue, you are smiling, that makes T versicolor easy, but it doesn't always have blue.

However where it is attached to the substrate, T versicolor is always thin (so says FOS), 1-5mm thick, whereas T ochracea can be up to 15mm thick at that point, T hirsuta 5-10mm thick there. So that is where you should focus your attention. Also if you cut a cross section through T ochracea is supposed to have a thin orange-brown line just under the velvety layer.

Melanie

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Trametes versicolor and Trametes ochracea are very similar, more so than T versicolor and T hirsuta as the latter is quite downy/hairy on alternate zones when young (the other two are merely velvety). And even with the microscope the spores of T versicolor and T ochracea are too close for comfort for me, with T ochracea being just very slightly broader. Pores shape and size are again very similar. If there is any blue, you are smiling, that makes T versicolor easy, but it doesn't always have blue.

However where it is attached to the substrate, T versicolor is always thin (so says FOS), 1-5mm thick, whereas T ochracea can be up to 15mm thick at that point, T hirsuta 5-10mm thick there. So that is where you should focus your attention. Also if you cut a cross section through T ochracea is supposed to have a thin orange-brown line just under the velvety layer.

Melanie

this all reminds me why I like microfungi . . . . characters that make sense

C

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by solus

Well, I think they're Trametes...

Found on 14th July in a Cotswold Beechwood near Sheepscombe on a cut or fallen Beech log on the ground. Obviously fresh, they were a bit damp as it was drizzling occasionally between brighter spells and there had been steady prolonged rainfall during the previous 24 hours but, apart from that, it had been very dry for weeks. Sorry about the slightly out of focus image but I was using a small compact camera in fairly dark conditions under the trees and didn't want to switch the flash on and distort the colours - although with hindsight perhaps I should have done!

Anyway, they were thickish, sort of rubbery and with a soft feel to the upper surface a bit like suede. Unfortunately I didn't examine them as closely as I should and now I'm stuck! Are they just T. versicolor after all? Thanks for looking!



There was very little else about: I found some Ganoderma and Blackfoot Polypore and nothing growing out of the ground at all!

Immature Trametes versicolor for me.

Andy

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

this all reminds me why I like microfungi . . . . characters that make sense

C

But you've got to spot the darn things in the first place, and not lose it as you transfer it to the microscope slide . At least you can see Trametes even if not sure which one it is .

Melanie

[solus]

Well, when Himself stops yapping on the phone to his sister we'll be off out to see if we can re-find the log!

[solus]

Found it and had a closer look.... definitely downy but in no way hairy so T. versicolor it is. Thanks for your help everybody.
One day I'll find something different... one day.