birch fungus (2 Viewers)

[billy]

id for this growth on a birch tree ? thanks

 

[chris butterworth]

It's either Birch Polypore or Razorstrop Fungus before it develops into a 'full' bracket.

Chris

 

[blackcountry mon]

Birch Polypore and Razorstrop Fungus are the common names for Piptoporus betulinus of which the photograph is of a young form.

 

[Trichia]

Hi all

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - this isn't a fungus!

It's the myxomycete Reticularia lycoperdon.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[chris butterworth]

I was wondering about it being a myxomycete species, but it looks very like the newly emerging P. betulinus I saw on Saturday. Does R. lycoperdon have a tough outer skin?

Chris

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

It's the myxomycete

(Thats a Slime Mould to you and me)

 

[Trichia]

I was wondering about it being a myxomycete species, but it looks very like the newly emerging P. betulinus I saw on Saturday. Does R. lycoperdon have a tough outer skin?

Chris

Hi Chris

Fairly tough - I guess 'membranous' would be the best description. You can easily break it with a finger/knife/twig. It is far more fragile than any polypore.

When immature the interior is pearly-white and slimy, but after a couple of days this develops into a dark, powdery mass of spores.

Apparently the spores of this species are largely distributed by wood-boring insects (I guess wind also plays a secondary role). The plasmodium (slimey early stage) usually 'crawls' out from an insect hole.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[chris butterworth]

I've just had a closer look at the photo, and now I can see the 'skin' is distinctly 'reticulated' ( hence the name :smoke: ) and far greyer than P. betulinus.

Apparently the spores of this species are largely distributed by wood-boring insects (I guess wind also plays a secondary role). The plasmodium (slimey early stage) usually 'crawls' out from an insect hole.

aka Weird Sh*t - as are all Slime-Moulds :t:

Chris

 

[Trichia]

aka Weird Sh*t - as are all Slime-Moulds :t:

Chris

Indeed:-O

Billy - Out of interest how sure are you that the tree is a Birch?

Looks more like Alder to me, but I'm no expert on bark....

Cheers,
Nick

 

[billy]

it could very well be an alder. mould thing has now turned brown