Young Datura mollis, possibly

This is an interesting poroid crust that presents here as neat pads of material with an almost reverse coralloid surface - flat with the irregular pores chased into it. The substrate is a highly decayed and quite soft birch branch. There is a very slight pinkish tinge and I should go back to see if I can get it to bruise pink as well. It resembles some images of Ceriopora excelsa (Lundell) Parmasto, which is also said to be soft and quite easily removable, with only 2 - 3 pores per mm. The pores here are bigger, I couldn't get it to bruise and it wasn't easy to remove from the substrate.

Ted Lapper thinks this might be a young Datronia mollis, the Common Mazegill. He might well be right!

There was another much thinner crust further along the branch:

Stereum ochraceoflavum possibly

 

Off to Hazel Wood towards West Peckham today for a short walk before an on-line judging session for Faversham Trees, Pleased to allow Toby to calmly explore the muddy footpath across the fields, which he clearly enjoyed. In the woods things looked quite promising for fungi. On the left a coppice stool which I think was Sweet Chestnut had one dead stem that was well colonised by a Stereum species.

At eye-level the Stereum looked pretty fresh, but lower down the stem there were many older caps and no fresh ones. It seemed that there was a wave of fruiting moving roughly up the stem. This may or may not be indicative of the progress of fungal colonisation of the stem. 

My first impression was of a pinkish crust, quite resupinate in the early stages, possibly having (retaining?) a more pileate nature in the older looking, dried out and more zonate crusts further down the stem. On looking in more detail the hairiness of the "upper" surface strongly reminded me of Stereum hirsutum, but the crusts looked significantly pinker with no trace of orange tints. The crusts looked thinner in cross section as well. Does Stereum hirsutum ever get as pink as this?

Looking in a bit more detail my first impression was of a pinkish crust, quite resupinate in the early stages, possibly having (retaining?) a more pileate nature in the older looking crusts further down the stem.

The colonisation appears to have been proceeding for a while!

One alternative is a pinkish Stereum hirsutum. I must go back to measure it and check for the black layer.

Phlebia rufa possibly

 

Phlebia rufa possibly on a really wet well decayed fallen birch branch. The colour is supposed to be very variable indeed, with brown, yellow or pinkish tones being seen in different images. However it may be worth noting that Phlebia acerina, if recognised in Europe, is similar but tends to be lighter coloured and yellower. The two taxa used to be regarded as conspecific (and still are in Europe) but are now claimed to be two separate species, confirmed by DNA studies in America.  

There are other ways to tell the two apart. A test worth carrying out is KOH, as Phlebia rufa should darken upon application, whereas Phlebia acerina should not. Generally, basidiomata of Phlebia rufa are thinner and less robust than those of Phlebia acerina. The margins of Phlebia acerina are usually entire and often detach from the substrate, whereas those of Phlebia rufa are fibrillose and closely appressed - I didn't see finrillose margins. In addition. the hymenial surface is interrupted by white, felty to woolly mycelia in many specimens of Phlebia acerina.

It is rather a moot point, because even in the American text, Phlebia acerina is not recorded in Western Europe.

One way to separate Phlebia rufa and Phlebia radiata is in the arrangement of the "polyps" which are never circular in Phlebia rufa and do tend to be radially arranged in Phlebia radiata. Ph;ebia radiata is also geerally more brightly coloured, sometimes quite a bright orange.

Stereum rugosum on Hornbeam

 This extensive Stereum growth on a Hornbeam stump growing from an old coppice stool is more likely to be Stereum rugosum than Stereum gausapatum. 

It is generally accepted that gausapatum is generally to be found on oak, although it can also be found on a few other trees such as hazel, birch, beech, sweet chestnut. Stereum rugosum however is commonly called the Broadleaf Bleeding Crust because of its much wider host range. It is difficult to know how reliable all this information is, but the indicators of a fairly light colour, little obviously pale margining and the presence of a degree of cap formation with a black upper surface all tip the balance towards Stereum rugosum.

The literature can be confusing. For example Bernicchia doesn't even mention the suggestion that rugosum can be a multilayered perennial, and says that the crust is only up to 1 mm thick.   

Tremella mesenterica

Walking through Fox Wood today a fallen thin branch by the side of the path showed the bright colours of a Tremella, Yellow Brain, a sight which eventually penetrated my brain sufficiently for me to pick the branch up. 

When closely examined I thought I did find a Peniophora quercina crust close by as well, suggesting the Yellow Brain is actually Tremella mesenterica, which feeds off Peniophora as opposed to Tremella aurantia which feeds off Stereum hirsutum. There are many, many more mesenterica records than aurantia records on the NBN gateway, so that seems to fit. Also, maybe aurantia occurs more in the warmer parts of Europe?

Much pinker by eye, as opposed to by camera flash.

Robins and a Wren in Fox Wood, two Blackbirds at the entrance.

Identifying Stereum gausapatum

 

There was a particularly interesting effused or resupinate crust on the dead but still strongly attached branch of an oak tree opposite the drive to the old hunting lodge. 

This was definitely bleeding so it should be one of the following two species. However, there are often some considerable difficulties in distinguishing the differences between Stereum rugosum (Pers.) Fr. and Stereum gausapatum (Fr.) Fr..  

Stereum gausapatum often appears generally darker and perhaps browner rather than yellower in many images but by no means all. Both are often photographed as a light brown or peachy colour. Descriptions in books are highly contradictory.

According to Buczacki it is markedly wavy and sharp-edged meaning? margin with a paler edge. However I cannot see most of this replicated in any of the Facebook photos, except the pale edge, which may not be totally unique to gausapatum. 

Does Stereum gausapatum guttate more than Stereum rugosum? This is certainly suggested.

If the crust is obviously perennial then it is more likely to be Stereum rugosum the only perennial species, that does seem to be agreed.

Stereum rugosum or gausapatum possibly.

This is a branch to watch in future years if possible. I am wondering whether the crusts are more concentrated around the edge of the blackening - which itself is perhaps development of the sclerotisation of previous fungal growth.

This crust bleeds reddish when cut, scraped or rubbed hard. On a broad-leafed tree this should indicate either the Oak Bleeding Crust, Stereum gausapatum or the Broadleaf Bleeding Crust, Stereum rugosum. The first may have a tendency to perenniality and consequent layering, while the latter may have a tendency towards guttation, and is reputed (?) to be darker in colour. It's all tricky!

and closer:

towards end of branch...

Rubbed on left, scraped on right:

and closer: