help please to I.D this giant fungi on a fallen oak tree

[dickie'sbird]

Hi Everyone, I found this wonderful fungi which started at the base of a fallen Oak and went up in various sizes. I'd love to know what I've found.

Many thanks,
Jean

[dickie'sbird]

was a 'wooden' texture to touch

[fairplay]

I am finding it difficult to tell if this is Ganoderma australe or G.resinaceum.
The thickness would seem to rule out G.applanatum but the spores really need to be examined to determine which you have here.

Neil.

[dickie'sbird]

I thought it might be Artists' Bracket - Ganoderma applanatum as my books and searching on the 'net' sort of point to that. But I'm a complete beginner re: this amazing subject so a more experienced opinion is most gratefully received!

Many thanks,
Jean

[flaxton]

I would say it is more likely to be G australe but without examining the spores or cutting one of the fruitbodies open we will never know.

Mal

[dickie'sbird]

Thank you all for trying to solve this one for me...I have posted a photo of another bracket that I thought looked similar but was found on a very old Cappadocian maple.

Regards,

Jean

[hamadryad]

again this is a simple matter of elimination, when the tree has failed/died one can rule out australe in active brackets with fertile pores as G. australe is a biotrophic parasite, meaning it needs contact with living tissues and also dies with its host. So by a proscess of elimination, and obviously this has been growing on deadwood for some time due to fruiting from already well (brown) rotted wood and from the cut surface in a horizontal plane.

resinaceum is another animal all together, also biotrophic, on live trees but also an annual bracket so not lasting as do the others generaly, like G. pfeifferi, G. australe and applanatum.

annual ganos are G carnosum, G. lucidum and as mentioned G. resinaceum.

this annual/perennial nature helps eliminate the others, as does life or Death of host.

[fairplay]

So in a round about way, you are saying it is a ... what ?

Think I'd rather stick to tried and tested methods such as measuring the spores or examination of the fertile layers.

And although G.resinaceum is accepted as an annual species, it can and does overwinter well into the following year before succumbing to beetle decimation.

Neil.

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by hamadryad

again this is a simple matter of elimination, when the tree has failed/died one can rule out australe in active brackets with fertile pores as G. australe is a biotrophic parasite, meaning it needs contact with living tissues and also dies with its host.

Ganoderma adspersum (australe) "starts as a parasite and continues to grow saprophytically after the tree dies" from Ganoderma in Northern Europe J E Petersen.
So according to that paper you cannot rule out australe on dead trees.
Like Neil I prefer just to look at the spores for an ID.

Mal

[stickman]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Ganoderma adspersum (australe) "starts as a parasite and continues to grow saprophytically after the tree dies" from Ganoderma in Northern Europe J E Petersen.
So according to that paper you cannot rule out australe on dead trees.
Like Neil I prefer just to look at the spores for an ID.

Mal

Indeed, I reguarly see G.australe (repeatedly confirmed by spore size) growing actively on a felled Beech where I work. The tree has been dead for well over 6 years.

Cheers,
Nick