July 18th –
August 3rd, 2012. W spotted this one - Schweinitz’s
Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii) - at the base of an
oak tree off the end of the house. These polypores are usually associated with pines rather
than oaks and is a 'butt rot' fungus that attacks the roots and the heartwood to weaken trees. I haven’t poked around but it may have grown on a stray piece of
pine firewood on the ground. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this fungus
develop out in front of the house; but it’s the first in several years, since
2008 in fact. We've never seen damage to trees, but...
July 19,
2012
From
a short distance, it was about 9 to 10 inches long.
A
closer view. The dark section is the mature fungus and the white margin is the
growing edge.
July
21, 2012
We
had some rain overnight. The growing edge is visible but very narrow
July
22, 2012
When the fungus dried, the growing
edge seemed to be larger again, but not as much wide as previously.
July 28, 2012
It’s
finished growing. It’s a little short of a foot in length
August
3, 2012
A
shell of its former self. It’s easy to see how this might be overlooked. It blends into its background.
This
one was small compared with one that developed on the other side of the path
in July 2008.
From
a short distance
Up
close. This was a beautiful specimen. Probably about 18 inches in diameter.
It's nice to see Phaeolus schweinitzii again. It's been too long.
Click on an image to view a larger image
Identification
resources:
- Michael Kuo,
Mushroom Expert.com: Phaeolus schweinitzii
- William
Tannegerger: Phaeolus schweinitzii – Schweinitzii’s Polypore
- Gary
Emberger, Messiah College: Phaeolus schweinitzii
No comments:
Post a Comment