Hi, I have poured through pictures and searches but can't seem to identify this. It started growing in my yard about 4 years ago and has gotten progressively worse each year. It started with a handful of these things and now they appear all over the yard. I haven't found any means to remove them, and don't know if it is possible. They are a bit of a nuisance because they eventually rot and turn into a slimy mess. These are located in Lenexa, KS and usually appear in August. Thanks for any help you can provide!
Those are ash tree boletes, so you must have an ash tree around? It's Gyrdon merulioides, formerly Boletinellus merulioides. It actually means that you have an aphid problem on your ash tree.
Wow, thanks for the input! Yes, I have Ash trees in the yard. I guess I'll look into having them treated for Aphids.
I'm collecting these dayly right now! Kansas has the best when you know when/where to look. Glad to see someone who is only a stone-throw away from me here. Welcome! If you ever have any more KS finds u'd like help with feel free to message! Something interesting I just learned above was the aphids??? All these that I've found, I honestly can't say if I ever noticed aphids...wow
There is a brief reference to the aphid/ash tree issue here -> http://mycorrhizas.info/method.html. Search for Aphid on this page and it'll bring you to the right sections. The website alludes to an original research paper from the 1980's. I have a PDF of it if anyone wants it; send me your email address and i'll email it to you. It's late and i'm feeling lazy - so I'm pasting a message I got some time ago from amanitarita, who explains the relationship between Gyrodon merulioides and the aphid in clearer terms than I could. "And what a weird "bolete" this one is! Non-mycorrhizal, but in a symbiotic relationship with a aphid that is an ash tree parasite. Plus, one of only a small handful of boletes that form sclerotia (a hard, rounded mass of hyphae, sometimes used as a protective resting state for mycelium in adverse conditions, or as a "nugget 'o energy" fruit body precursor). The aphid uses the sclerotium as shelter, and the fungus feeds off the sugars secreted by the aphid. This "bolete" is also not very bolete-like in that you cannot peel those pores readily from the cap. Ugly, too. And altho it is called "edible," that really just means that it's not toxic."
To clarify from the link MycoRob posted, a root-feeding aphid. You won't find the aphids on the leaves where one would normally expect to find them! So normal aphid control methods probably won't work.
A question here about where these are found? My most recent location for these was in a Cedar tree location. No Ash anywhere! I am still picking tiny needles out of my pants I had on the day I was collecting/photographing. Is this a normal hosting area does anyone know? I've only seen these with Ash before.
Hmmm - can we rule out: (A) that you have aanother Gyrodon species (B) that a root system for an old ash tree is not present?
Originally I'd thought it was a different G.species because I was getting some very beautiful blue bruising. But the spore print, colors, smells, tastes...............everything except for microscopic views...all point to our Ash bolete? The area these were found....is covered in old Indian villiage remains. I don't think there were any Ash trees here at all that I can figure. This area is Missouri River Bluffs....and only about 150 years ago most of this was under the river...or Native feet...so don't think there were Ash here? ugh...don't really know for sure??? The rest of the trees in this entire area were mostly Elm that I could see. A couple Hawthorn and an Oak or 2. But when I saw these....I looked specifically for the Ash...and couldn't see any.
That's so cool. THanks for the interesting info. Had no idea there were root feeding aphids. Always so much to learn :)
I broke out Boletes of North America. It's a really good book for everything boletes. C.Wick's pic looks like Gyrodon rompelii - which it says grows in association with 'broad leaf trees'. Google images isn't bringing anything up? One defining characteristic of these is that they have a "pinkish red to red zone near the base of the stipe, which becomes rusty red to reddish brown in age". Not sure if yours has that, but it is something to pay attention to. The fruiting is from june to october, from Texas south into Mexico. Pore surface bruising blue where bruised. Just an idea ... Rob
Widespread, but not often known about. The best-known is Vine Phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, formerly Phylloxera vitifoliae) that causes so much damage on grape vines.
