I first found this semi-hard, woody fungus at the base of my largest Bougainvillea just after Hurricane Jullieta and within 1 year it had spread to and killed most of my other Bougainvillea, but the largest one ended up surviving. It then spread outside my yard and killed the Bougainvillea in the adjacent vacent lot. I have now found two spots of it at the base of my Coconut Palm tree and am worried that it is going to kill that tree as well. It starts out as a white patch at the base of the plant, then forms a small white clump that turns reddish in color and harder, then brown and woody. I hope someone can identify it for me and tell me how to get rid of it. I found after spending several hours on the web that I have no idea about fungus identification, I eat ones I buy in the store and am severly confused. Since this has now appeared at tha base of my Palm, I researched fungus that hurt palms and could only find Ganoderma Zonatum, but the pictures on the net do not look like the ones on my tree. I am going to link to pictures of ones at the base of a dead Bougainvillea and of the ones I have cut off of the Palm (the second time in two weeks, fast growing things). If someone could Identify and help me treat the problem I will remember you in my prayers! I am going to submit this on another forum as well
I'm sorry to say it in a general sense it really does look like a Ganoderma, also that often when you see a fruiting body of this sort on a plant/tree, it means that the tree is already suffused with the body of the fungus, that it has just decided to "bear fruit." I'm not in your area, and I don't know palms, so I cannot offer direct info. But I notice online that the University of Florida seems very interested in G.zonatum, whose hosts include Bougainvillea and Palm. Although your specimens are not growing in a classic fan shape, sometimes mushrooms don't grow in perfect shapes. If you don't find help in this palm forum you could try emailing a photo to someone at the U. of Florida? I wish you luck with your search and in saving your plants, frog
Thanks Frog, I was afraid of that. I got to looking real close at the Palm and it does appear that I am beginning to have die-off on the lower fronds, just as described in the articles I have read. I'll check with the Florida guys, but sorry to say I think I will be chopping this plant down soon, before we have another hurricane strike. Oh, I live in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, desert environment next to the ocean, often hot and humid but with only 6 inches of rain a year. Thank you so much for the reply! George
