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Hackberry > Branches/Trunk > Fungi growing on trunk/branches

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  • Image: Sapwood rot 1
    Credit: J. O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
  • Image: Sapwood rot 2

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Image: Sapwood rot 3

    Credit: Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowSapwood rot
Cerrena unicolor

  • Groups or rows of small (< 2 inches wide) semi-circle self fungi along killed branches or on the main trunk
  • Shelf fungi are white to greenish grey and have concentric rings on the surface
  • Dead branches within the canopy
  • Common on trees with an open wound or crack
  • Wood below fungal shelves is yellowish to white, crumbly and decayed; bark around fungal shelves is killed and often falls off
  • More information on Sapwood rot...
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  • Image: Heart rot 1
    Credit: R. Koetter, University Of Minnesota
  • Image: Heart rot 2

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Image: Heart rot 3

    Credit: N Cent'l Research Station Archive, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowHeart rot
Polyporus squamosus, Laetiporus sulfereus and others

  • Fungal fruiting bodies arise along the stem, near a pruning wound, crack or other wound
  • Many shapes and sizes of fungal fruiting bodies may be seen
  • In cross section of the trunk, the wood at the center is discolored, soft, crumbling, stringy or spongy
  • The canopy may show no symptoms or may have small yellowing leaves/dead branches depending on the extent of the trunk decay
  • More information on Heart rot...
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  • Image: Lichens 1
    Credit: USDA Forest Service - NE Area Archive, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
  • Image: Lichens 2

    Credit: E.L. Barnard, FL Dept. of Ag. & Consumer Services, Bugwood.org

  • Image: Lichens 3

    Credit: A. Kunca, Nat'l Forest Centre - Slovakia, Bugwood.org

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowLichens
Several species

  • Colorful patches on the bark of trunk and/or branches
  • Can be wrinkled, in scalloped sheets, lace-like pads, bushy tufts, paint-like spots or splashes
  • Forms can be flat against the bark surface or raised in leaf-like lobes, finger-like or hairy projections
  • Colors may be shades of gray, green, blue, yellow, orange, or red
  • More information on Lichens...
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  • Image: Armillaria root rot 1
    Credit: J. O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
  • Image: Armillaria root rot 2

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Image: Armillaria root rot 3

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowArmillaria root rot
Armillaria spp.

  • Clusters of honey-colored mushrooms may grow at the base of the tree in fall
  • Infected trees have poor growth, dead branches in the upper canopy, undersized and/or yellow leaves
  • Wood is decayed, white, soft and spongy, and this may extend from the base of the tree well up into the trunk
  • Trees frequently break or fall over in storms
  • Flat white sheets of fungal mycelia (mycelia fans) grow between the bark and sapwood at the base of infected trees
  • Thick black, shoestring-like fungus can sometimes be seen under the bark, around roots and in the soil around the base of the tree
  • More information on Armillaria root rot...
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  • Image: Ganoderma root and butt rot 1
    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota
  • Image: Ganoderma root and butt rot 2

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • Image: Ganoderma root and butt rot 3

    Credit: M. Grabowski, University of Minnesota

  • - CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE -

green arrowGanoderma root and butt rot
Ganoderma spp.

  • Fungal conks, a semicircle shelf fungi, can be found from the base of the tree up to 3 feet high on the trunk
  • Conks are reddish brown and shiny on top, white and porous underneath; a rim of white may be visible on the edge of
    growing conks
  • Infected wood at the tree base is white, soft, stringy or spongy
  • Infected trees frequently break or fall over in storms
  • Canopy appears thin with few leaves and multiple dead branches
  • Leaves are smaller in size and turn yellow earlier than normal
  • More information on Ganoderma root and butt rot...

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