Strange fungi?

[Loves Borders]

Found this growing on dead branches fallen from trees in a densely wooded area. Can anyone ID it for me please? Can't find it any either of the books I have.

Thanks.

[Chris Yeates]

external image! tsk tsk! slapped legs!

I'm sure we've had something along these lines before . . . .

not fungal - some sort of ice phenomenon I think . . .

Chris

[The_Moaner]

I also found some of that the other day. Took some shots of it. Deffinatley thought it was a Fungi.. Ice phenomenon u say?..First time in my 64 years of living that I seen one.

[mollisia]

Hello,

its a phenomen called "hair ice", at least as translation from the German "Haareis". It occures when temperature is constantly slightly below 0° together with a constantly high humidity. It is caused by water pressed out through the openings of the wood or bark by gases (CO2 e.g.) caused by activity of fungal mycelia inside.
So, it is NOT a fungus, but it is caused by fungal activity.

There are lots of studies, but as I don't know the english term for it, I can not tell you. But there must be a Wikipedia side to that. In German wikipedia it's to find under the name "Haareis", and also a lot of pictures are to find when one googles with that term.

best regards,
Andreas

[Loves Borders]

Thanks all for the replies. It wasn't really all that cold where I found it but it was very damp. I've walked these woods for many years and never seen this before. At least I now know what it is

[fairplay]

Thanks Andreas for that very clear, but detailed explanation - I can now impress my friends whenever I see it.
Trouble is, I have never seen it - I wonder if these exact requirements depend upon what altitude you live at ?

Neil.

[flaxton]

Neil
It certainly does not have to be at altitude I have seen it around here at only 20m above sea level.

Mal

[mollisia]

Originally Posted by fairplay

Thanks Andreas for that very clear, but detailed explanation - I can now impress my friends whenever I see it.
Trouble is, I have never seen it - I wonder if these exact requirements depend upon what altitude you live at ?

Neil.

Hello Neil,

as I have understood it, it's just and only a matter of the right temperature and the constancy of it.
It needs to be a little bit below 0°, because the water has to stay fluid inside the water, but starts freezing when it comes out of the pores of the wood. The mycelium activity, which produces gases like CO2, is the pressure that presses the (fluid) water inside the wood towards the exterieur - where it then freezes. As this doesn't happens within seconds or minutes, it is important that the suitable temperatures don't change for many hours.
If temperature stays similar, you can wipe away the hair ice and next day it will be re-grown at the very piece of wood.

best regards,
Andreas

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by mollisia

Hello Neil,

as I have understood it, it's just and only a matter of the right temperature and the constancy of it.
It needs to be a little bit below 0°, because the water has to stay fluid inside the water, but starts freezing when it comes out of the pores of the wood. The mycelium activity, which produces gases like CO2, is the pressure that presses the (fluid) water inside the wood towards the exterieur - where it then freezes. As this doesn't happens within seconds or minutes, it is important that the suitable temperatures don't change for many hours.
If temperature stays similar, you can wipe away the hair ice and next day it will be re-grown at the very piece of wood.

best regards,
Andreas

Proof that there is somebody more clever than 'God'.
Fascinating stuff Andreas.

Neil.

[mollisia]

Hello,

sorry for this mistake:

Originally Posted by mollisia

Hello Neil,

It needs to be a little bit below 0°, because the water has to stay fluid inside the water wood, but starts freezing when it comes out of the pores of the wood.

best regards,
Andreas