This is growing on the outside of my raised bed between the ground and the first landscape timber.
Got any idea what it is, or can you point me in the right direction to do research???
Thanks,
Judy
This message was edited Dec 10, 2007 7:59 PM
I believe this is a better photo of "it".
Hi, Judycooksey, the closed match I could find in my books is Ustulina deusta. In a young stage it has some whitish powdery stuff on it and a clearer white growing edge; the last I can see from your second picture. When it gets older it turns darker in colour from dark-grey to black. Does yours has the powdery stuff on top ?
No powdery stuff on top, but I had been laid up for a few days so I could have missed it. It's rained for most of the last two days, I'll check it again tomorrow and see what I find. In the center of this raised bed is an old stump, lightening hit the tree about 10 years ago so I had tree service to cut it down. They promised to come back and remove the stump ... last I heard of saw of them. The stump has some old extremely tough half moon shaped fungus protruding from the base. I'll also take a picture of them.
Thanks so much for assisting me.
Judy
The rain could explain why you couldn't see any powdery stuff on it...
the picture in one of my books matches yours quite well, but as I cannot send you that here is a link I found of a pict. I found on the web, although not with such a clear resemblance to yours as the one in my book...
http://mycoweb.narod.ru/fungi/Submitted/SJG3/Ustulina_deusta_2_JS_20060523.jpg
Yes, please send a pict of the tough fungus...
Oh My!!! That picture does look like what I have. There is an 8 ft section of the landscape timber which is on the ground and it looked as if someone had sprayed foam insulation under the timber. I don't know if it has blossomed out or not but will find out come daylight.
Gracious from what I read if it is it could kill all my Oak trees. I live in the middle of a wooded area with giant oaks very near to the house. What I read says there is no known way to stop it from spreading.
I certainly appreciate you helping me, will get pictures tomorrow.
Judy
Usually these harmful parasitic type of mushrooms only affect weakened trees. But it would be wise to ask advise from a local specialist to see what actions have to be taken.
Perhaps you could remove it before it gets ripened and could send spores out...
Please ignore the date on these photos, it's a new camera and I have read the instructions on how to change it, nor did I realize it was "on".
It rained again this morning so if there had been white powder substances it washed away. Also I toss all sorts of "stuff" in this bed so if you spot something weird you'll know.
newly developing ....
this is the one which started this thread
a new one
The tough one looks like an old Phellinus igniarius to me.
This is also a fungi that infects usually old and weakened trees
So sounds like if I find these on anything other than old stumps, I should call in someone to take a look at taking the tree down. I had a tree cutter come in in 2004 to take out smaller oak and pine trees. lol lol smaller is less than three feet across. Most of my trees are this size, but these are not my trees.
Thank you so very much for your patience with me. I appreciate your help.
Judy
This message was edited Dec 13, 2007 3:12 PM
Many of these sorts of fungi are wood rotters and not pathogens at all. This is the case even when you see them growing from the side of a living tree. They are actually growing in the non-living innner wood of the tree, which doesn't bother the tree, although it may result in a hollow tree or a tree with "pockets" of decay. The tree just goes along its merry way producing seeds and continuing to grow--until it becomes a hazard tree and a wind storm blows it over!! A fungus growing on old wood or lumber is unlikely to be a pathogen. Also, simply removing the fruiting body, the part you can see, doesn't do much. It is simply the structure which produces spores; the actively growing part of the fungus, called a mycelium, is microscopic. There are mycelia whose ages have been estimated at over 1500 years and cover very large areas. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_organism and http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v356/n6368/abs/356428a0.html
Clathrus
Thank you for your posting, very interesting reading, plus the links were great.
Judy
