Ganoderma Pfeifferi (Up North)

[Ditiola]

I found this Ganoderma today at Kedleston Hall on a large Beech tree. As the pores are coated with a yellow wax with a beeswax smell the literature tells me this is G.pfeifferi and from the distribution map it appears to be quite rare here (up North!) with only two 1 km squares recorded north of the West Midlands.

Peter

[flaxton]

Derby "Up North"?????

Mal

[Ditiola]

OK, perhaps not quite as 'Up North' as the Wild Frozen Wastelands of Yorkshire

It's all relative to your starting point

Peter

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Derby "Up North"?????

Mal

It is north of Watford Gap, so that makes it North

[flaxton]

If it had been up north I might have made a visit to see it

Mal

[Ditiola]

Here is a photo of the wax covering the pores. I have cut some wax away to reveal the pores underneath. This is from a young specimen higher up the tree. It is amazing how the fungus produces the wax in such an even layer across the pore surface. I cannot imagine how this happens. I think it must be spread over the pores by Wood Elf's, Fairies or Goblins

Peter

[watsthat]

..... and how do the spores escape Peter?

Pete

[flaxton]

As far as I know the wax is produced in the autumn and winter. I am not sure whether this disappears in the spore production period or if a new layer of tubes are grown over the top of this layer.