Hi, i am hoping someone can help me out there. I am a property manager. The other day a tenant contacted me and she said that some electrical live wires have appeared coming from the tile in her bathroom next to the door molding. (this is a half bath with no tub) anyway i went over and was in agreement with her, puzzled i called a guy to come over and see if he can figure out where these wires are going. Its obvious they are live because they have already burnt some surrounding areas. Well, i get a call a bit later from the guy i sent over and he said it is something growing in the floor. Like a fungus or something. We did remove it but it is starting to come back. I have looked everywhere to try to find out what this is. I am wondering if its some dangerous thing i need to be concerned with. I have looked everywhere on the internet and really cannot find anything like this. please help..
Hi Kellye, My short answer is that sorry no I can't identify it. The longer answer: - The photos are too far away to tell what this is, even whether it is an organism or not: From this distance it looks a bit like toothpaste on a sooty floor. - If you have a closer shot you are welcome to post it to see if any others in this forum recognize it. - A closer photo might not provide enough information for ID: Many molds and similar-looking organisms require microscopy and or specific expertise in molds to identify. Wet areas in a house can often attract a number of organisms, so it may also be more than one species there. Sometimes removing the conditions needed for growth - eg. keeping the area dry, removing rotting/inhabited wood or drywall, changing the ph of the area - can stop the organism from growing. If wet conditions return, sometimes the organism(s) will return. - You could try taking it to your local mycological society for in-person examination. They may have someone with expertise in mold, or if it is an actual fungal fruiting body there may be features enough for identification in-hand. Here is a link to a similar topic thread in this forum, which contains other links to resources/discussions: Identification: - Is this mold? Please identify! I hope that is helpful, frog
I am not certain if this is fungal. It looks more like an etiolated piece of vascular plant. What are the plants growing outside the house nearby?
