Another fungus for ID...

[outdoorgirl]

This one is growing on the same old willow in my garden. It's actually growing under the broken bark in places.

I've done a shot with a coin for scale, one above, and one from below...

Scale

Above

Below

Any ideas on what these ones are?

ODG

 

[stovie]

They look very like Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea). But I would like to see them in a day or two when they have developed.

 

[stovie]

They haven't grow'd much in the last few days

 

[monkey_pork]

The Devon Fungus Group has a picture of Armillaria Mellea here for reference if / when your does grow a bit.

The fairly mature looking Oak leaf in the background [of their picture] could help with sizing I guess.

 

[outdoorgirl]

Sorry stovie (and everyone else) - I've been away on business for a few days. Here for your delight is the fungus cluster, a few days on (pics taken this morning)

Cluster

One of the gills

You can see the white spores here

And here's the whole lot on the tree - I keep finding clusters in the hedgerow now too!

According to my references, if this is honey fungus, then it's good to eat...

 

[Moonraker]

Looks very much like Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea) to my odg.

In which case your tree is defintiely on the way out though, as it will kill the tree This is one of the most dangerous parasites of trees, causing an intensive white rot and ultimately death; there is no cure and the fungus is responsible for large losses of timber each year. Just part of life's rhythms.......

I find them rather astringent to eat and apparently you should only eat them in small quantities as some species can casue stomach upset according to Roger Phillips Mushrooms book, which is a shame as it is possible to collect loads but best to be cautious at least to begin with.

Keep up the nice photos

 

[Moonraker]

Bit more info on Honey Fungus and Trees:

Honey Fungus - Friend or Foe? Paul F Hamlyn

 

[outdoorgirl]

Cheers Moonraker - as for the tree, well it seems to have already died this year. It was doing well after being pollarded the year before, but suddenly lost all its leaves and never recovered. The ground dried out very badly this summer, and we had also kept some chickens under the tree for a while - I'm not sure if the chicken poop had anything to do with it, but certainly the lack of water seems to have done for it... Shame, as it was a lovely tree. You can get your whole hand in some of the cracks in the bark now.

Andy had planned to cut it down and stack the wood in the shed for next winter...

 

[Moonraker]

Cheers Moonraker - as for the tree, well it seems to have already died this year. It was doing well after being pollarded the year before, but suddenly lost all its leaves and never recovered. The ground dried out very badly this summer, and we had also kept some chickens under the tree for a while - I'm not sure if the chicken poop had anything to do with it, but certainly the lack of water seems to have done for it... Shame, as it was a lovely tree. You can get your whole hand in some of the cracks in the bark now.

Andy had planned to cut it down and stack the wood in the shed for next winter...

Definitely the Honey Fungus that did it in then. It will attack willow especially if it is old and weakened (dry periods will stress trees a lot, especially if they are prolonged or a stream, ditch dries up etc). And it is classic rot symptom that will mean the wood will be less than useful if it has gone far in the heart of the wood. Best to chop it sooner rather than later and hope.

 

[stovie]

They grow'd, then, and some.

No doubting they are Honey Fungus. I can only re-itterate what has been said about these causing gastric irritation...Use sparingly. They are quite tasty though