littlebrownwren
Ringless Honey Mushrooms
Ringless honey mushrooms (Armillaria species) beneath an oak in my yard; clumps have appeared several times in about the same location.
Several Armillaria species cause pathogenic root rot leading to tree death. Root-like rhizomorphs (string-like masses of hyphae) can be found growing between the wood & the bark, giving the names bootlace or shoestring disease. When fresh, the rhizomorphs are light cream color, & blacken over time. They spread by probing through the soil towards uninfected roots. Armillaria spp. are found worldwide & infect nearly every cultivated species of hardwood & softwood, adversely impacting forestry & lumber industries. Fungus can live for decades in woody material (i.e. dead underground tree roots). There is no treatment to save individual infected trees, it's recommended to dispose of stump & roots.
Interestingly, the largest known organism on earth is an Armillaria ostoyae. Discovered in Oregon's Malheur National Forest, it occupies some 2,384 acres - 1,665 football fields, or nearly four square miles of turf - & its age is estimated somewhere between 2,000 and 8,500 years. Dr. Catherine Parks of the USFS in Oregon and her colleagues published this discovery in 2003 (ABC Science News link : www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_828525... )
**This photo was originally taken in 2009. This tree is now obviously dying.
100_8127
Ringless Honey Mushrooms
Ringless honey mushrooms (Armillaria species) beneath an oak in my yard; clumps have appeared several times in about the same location.
Several Armillaria species cause pathogenic root rot leading to tree death. Root-like rhizomorphs (string-like masses of hyphae) can be found growing between the wood & the bark, giving the names bootlace or shoestring disease. When fresh, the rhizomorphs are light cream color, & blacken over time. They spread by probing through the soil towards uninfected roots. Armillaria spp. are found worldwide & infect nearly every cultivated species of hardwood & softwood, adversely impacting forestry & lumber industries. Fungus can live for decades in woody material (i.e. dead underground tree roots). There is no treatment to save individual infected trees, it's recommended to dispose of stump & roots.
Interestingly, the largest known organism on earth is an Armillaria ostoyae. Discovered in Oregon's Malheur National Forest, it occupies some 2,384 acres - 1,665 football fields, or nearly four square miles of turf - & its age is estimated somewhere between 2,000 and 8,500 years. Dr. Catherine Parks of the USFS in Oregon and her colleagues published this discovery in 2003 (ABC Science News link : www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_828525... )
**This photo was originally taken in 2009. This tree is now obviously dying.
100_8127