help with fungus identification

[Bill Brooks]

Can anyone identify this fungus growing on a rotting hardwood log? There was an entire colony on the side of the log. This part was the biggest and is about 4 inches long. It appears to have a random shape. It has no gills or stem but is firmly rooted to the log by a system of tough finely packed hairs growing downward. Dry to the touch not slimy. I was not brave enough to taste it.

 

[Allan Bell]

18 hours ago, Bill Brooks said:

Can anyone identify this fungus growing on a rotting hardwood log? There was an entire colony on the side of the log. This part was the biggest and is about 4 inches long. It appears to have a random shape. It has no gills or stem but is firmly rooted to the log by a system of tough finely packed hairs growing downward. Dry to the touch not slimy. I was not brave enough to taste it.

 

 

 

Cannot match exactly but I am looking at fungi of Britain and Northern Europe book. The nearest is Fungal mycelium.

 

Hope it helps your search.

 

Allan

 

[Bill Brooks]

2 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

 

Cannot match exactly but I am looking at fungi of Britain and Northern Europe book. The nearest is Fungal mycelium.

 

Hope it helps your search.

 

Allan

 

 

Thanks for the information Allan. 

I think I am going to have to dig deeper as Fungal mycelium is too generic for identification purposes. I think it is one of the crust fungus.

I went here, but site is really difficult to use.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com

[John Mitchell]

Could it be a variety of Green Cup (a.k.a. Green Stain) fungus whose cup has runneth over?

 

I think the scientific name for Green Cup is Chlorociboria aeruginascens.

[Bill Brooks]

Thanks for the info John. However Chlorociboria aeruginascens are elevated on short stems and mine had no stem whatsoever. So I am going to have to keep looking. It is on sale as "fungus" only. Maybe some day I will stumble across the answer and do some collection maintenance by adding the scientific name.

[John Mitchell]

1 minute ago, Bill Brooks said:

Thanks for the info John. However Chlorociboria aeruginascens are elevated on short stems and mine had no stem whatsoever. So I am going to have to keep looking. It is on sale as "fungus" only. Maybe some day I will stumble across the answer and do some collection maintenance by adding the scientific name.

 

You're probably right about it being some kind of crust fungus. Actually, it looks like a lot of things. Mother Nature can be a bit messy sometimes.

 

Good luck.

[AM Chang]

Maybe young crust fungi (Kretzschmaria deusta)?

 

https://www.mushroomexpert.com/kretzschmaria_deusta.html

 

andre

Edited June 17, 2019 by AM Chang
link added

[aphperspective]

6 hours ago, Bill Brooks said:

Thanks for the info John. However Chlorociboria aeruginascens are elevated on short stems and mine had no stem whatsoever. So I am going to have to keep looking. It is on sale as "fungus" only. Maybe some day I will stumble across the answer and do some collection maintenance by adding the scientific name.

You could look here Bill one or two look very similar http://www.greenmanconservation.co.uk/Tree_Decay_Fungi.htm

Andy

[Bill Brooks]

6 hours ago, AM Chang said:

Maybe young crust fungi (Kretzschmaria deusta)?

 

https://www.mushroomexpert.com/kretzschmaria_deusta.html

 

andre

 

Thanks Andre, I appreciate your thoughts. 

Kretzschmaria deusta is close on most points except the young fungus of Kretzschmaria deusta have a grey powdery centre while mine is greenish and not powdery. The old Kretzschmaria deusta turn black and resemble charred wood. Of course maybe that is what the charred looking wood is in the background of my image. I know the log, so I will have to take another look next time I am in the area. Maybe get my swiss army knife out and dissect one for scientific purposes.

[Bill Brooks]

1 hour ago, aphperspective said:

You could look here Bill one or two look very similar http://www.greenmanconservation.co.uk/Tree_Decay_Fungi.htm

Andy

 

Thanks Andy, many minds are much stronger than one.

Your link leads me back to consider Kretzschmaria deusta as the closest one visually, but as I said to Andre, not quite close enough. Some fungus are so close visually that the only way to tell them apart is to look at the spores through a microscope.

Have a mental need to get it right with confidence, so I will keep on looking.