Ganoderma sp id help for newbie

[pleb]

Hi,

Could someone hazard an opinion on which species of Ganoderma this is, and give me some hints on how to pin down the species. The fungus was growing on a fallen tree trunk in sheltered, mostly deciduous woodland, by the River Erme in Ivybridge, South Devon.







Thanks for any help.

Phil

[Ditiola]

Hi: try this key:

1 Basidiome more or less stipitate or at least constricted at the base; context pale wood-colour to
pale grey-brown ........ —2
1 Basidiome broadly attached; context brown to dark reddish brown —4

2 Basidiome slightly stipitate to sessile; pileus reddish brown to grey-brown {but growing margin
pale cream), not shiny. Rather large, rugged species, usually on old, living Oaks, but also
other deciduous trees; spores finely verrucose G. resinaceum
2 Basidiomes distinctly stipitate; pileus shiny; spores coarsely verrucose —3

3 Pileus bright reddish orange becoming occasionally dark reddish brown to almost black when
old, often thin and applanate or somewhat curved; mostly on deciduous trees; spores ca 7pm
broad G. lucidum
3 Pileus reddish brown to brown, becoming brownish black to black; robust species on conifers;
spores ca 7.5-8pm broad G. atkinsonii

4 Pileus crust with a resinous layer which melts from the heat of a match; pores and margin
covered by a yellow layer of wax during winter and spring; with a sweetish smell of beeswax
G. pfeifferi
4 Pileus crust without a resinous layer; sweetish smell absent ... —5

5 Context brownish grey, often with a darker zone immediately above the pore-layer and often
with white specks; pileus crust ca 0.5mm thick; spores less than 8.5pm long G. applanatum
5 Context dark reddish brown; pileal crust in older parts l-3rnm thick; spores larger than 8.5pm
long .. .... G. adspersum

[pleb]

Thanks for the key which was helpful and useful.

With the help of the online Shroomery Mycology Glossary, I have been able to follow the key and it leads to Ganoderma applanatum . This is without any examination of the spores which I am unable to do.

From my photo of the cross section, I considered the context was brownish grey rather than dark reddish brown and the pileal crust could be seen from the photo to be thin (less than the 1-3 mm of G. adspersum

Also Roger Phillips states in his book that for G. applanatum ' the flesh is cinnamon brown, thinner than the tube layer' which, I think, supports the case for G. applanatum

For a newbie, I realise I have exceeded the limits of my experience by a mile so confirmation of this id would give me a bit of confidence.

Thanks Ditiola,

Phil

[Ditiola]

Hi Phil

It is not that easy to make confirmations from photographs: The context is definitely brown. But with just looking at the photograph the top looks shinny so could be resinous, but it may just be that it is very wet. It would be good to know what the surface texture was like when it was dry. Did you try the melt test? Given that the surface is not resinous the it is either G.applanatum or G.adspersum

Most experienced mycologist struggle to separate Ganoderma applanatum from Ganoderma adspersum even with fresh specimens in front of them, so to do so successfully from a photograph is even more unlikely. The other problem is that you from the photograph you appear to have a young fruit body with only a single layer of tubes

There has been whole papers written about separating the two. The conclusion from one paper by Anne Leonard presented in the Mycologist Vol.12(2) p.65 in conclusion states:

Conclusions
The fact that many older specimens of G. australe
can appear to be applanate or flattened,
with an acute or comparatively sharp margin,
apparently fitting the description of G. applana-
turn, makes this a useless standard by which to
separate the two species. Unless the observer is
very familiar with both species, they cannot be
reliably identified without being removed from
the tree and sawn in half. Only mature specimens
with at least two years' growth (and preferably
more) should be taken for a satisfactory
identification, which should then be possible
from these two brief descriptions:

G. applanatum
Annual tube layers completely separated by layers
of context.
Cuticle (measured at thickest part) less than 0.75
mm thick.
Spore measurement: 5.5 - 8.0 (-9.0) x 4.5 - 6.0 u.m.

G. australe
Annual tube layers not completely separated by
context.
Cuticle (measured at thickest part) 0.75 mm
thick or more.




Peter

[pleb]

Peter,

The shinyness of the top was caused by drizzle and the top, 24 hours later, has now dried to a matt surface. No, I didn't try the melt test.

The fruiting body was young as you noticed from the photo.

So I am happy to have narrowed the id down to Ganoderma applanatum or G. australe and I have learned a lot from your help. Knowing my limits and not trying to exceed them is a big step forward.

Thanks again,

Phil

[pleb]

Mal has had a look at the spores from this fungus and positively identified it as Ganoderma australe

Thanks Mal and Happy Christmas to everyone.

Phil