Identification: Tsuga heterophylla fungal fruiting body

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by katriona, Sep 25, 2012.

  1. katriona

    katriona Member

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    Found 4 of these guys around the base of a western hemlock. They are all like little soft, white/cream-colored half-spheres coming out from the trunk. When you scratch them the go a creamy coffee color.
    The tree is growing near a body of water in a cemetary (about 10-13m away) and there is a road about 6-7m from it's trunk. Several spots along the base of the trunk were also weeping a dark resinous sap... any ideas what it could be? I've been through common tree diseases of bc and nothing seemed to fit.
    Overall the tree looks alright, foliage may be a little sparse but it's not too bad, no yellowing of foliage or dieback.

    Thanks!

    p.s. how do I put pictures up on here? I thought I attached them but they didn't show up.

    Pictures are provided of fungal fruiting bodies..... :)
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 1, 2012
  2. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    It's hard to tell what mushroom it is from those photos. Was it hard and woody or soft? A very young Ganoderma can be white like that, but it will take a while for it to mature. If it's soft, you would have to see the bottom to tell if it's a puffball or a gilled mushroom.
     
  3. katriona

    katriona Member

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    It was more firm than soft, pretty sure it wasn't a puffball... do those even grow on trees?
     
  4. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Some puffballs grow on dead wood, and young puffballs can be pretty firm. A polypore like Ganoderma would be very hard. To get a positive ID for that mushroom, you'll have to wait for it to mature.
     
  5. katriona

    katriona Member

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    Hmm I'll keep that in mind. This is a living tree though... it looks fairly healthy (slightly sparse crown) other than these fruiting bodies and dark sap. I don't think it's Ganoderma since all these fruiting bodies were more spherical than flat.
     
  6. Frog

    Frog Generous Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Hi Katriona,

    If this specimen is solid, my top guess would be Fomitopsis pinicola the Red Belt Conk, partly because of the appearance and substrate, but also due to frequency of this species in our area. If you scratch the (hard) white surface and it bruises a black line, then perhaps Ganoderma applanatum the Artists Conk. These species can look very similar sometimes. As it is at the base of the tree, possibly Heterobasidion annosum, but it is less likely.

    Does it feel solid/woody to the touch, or when you squeeze it does it give, or does it feel lightweight, like it was a bit hollow inside?

    cheers!
    frog
     
  7. katriona

    katriona Member

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    It gave a bit when I squeezed and poked at it. It wasn't completely solid.
    Does Fomitopsis pinicola or Ganoderma applanatum eventually kill the tree?
     
  8. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Not necessarily, though it will eventually leave it hollow and (particularly if the decay spreads down into the roots) prone to wind throw. But that may be decades away yet.
     

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