Part 47

Habitat & Distribution: Grows on fallen branches, trunks, dead wood, etc.

General Information: Easily recognised by the ‘gills’ radiating from a point and becoming ‘split’ when dry. Specimens of Schizophyllum sealed by A. H. R. Buller in a tube in 1911 have been shown on remoistening to unroll their gills and shed variable spores, after 52½ years--probably a world record! The split-gill is a rather unique British fungus which appears to be much more closely related to the polypores than to the agarics--although it has for a long time been associated with the Oyster mushroom (p. 74). In fact, the splitting gills are two adjacent shallow dishes with spores produced on their inner surfaces. The cups separate on drying and therefore only superficially resemble gills splitting down the centre.

Another fungus which can also be associated with the idea of cups is Fistulina hepatica Fries ‘the Beef-steak fungus’. This fungus is a polypore in the widest sense. It may grow up to 250 mm wide and is reddish-brown or liver-coloured with reddish tubes and pale flesh-coloured pores; the tubes although free are aggregated together and can be easily separated individually with the fingers. This fungus is edible although very strong in taste, it produces a serious decay of oaks.

Illustrations: S. commune--LH 105; NB 125⁶; WD 69³. F. hepatica--F 43³ (lower figure); Hvass 278; LH 75; NB 129²; WD 101⁴.

(b) Destroyers of timber in buildings

~Serpula lacrymans~ (Fries) Karsten

Dry-rot fungus

Description:

Fruit-body: usually widely spreading, but sometimes forming a distinct bracket with the upper surface silvery or smokey grey, flushed with lilac or rose or yellowish.

Stem: absent and replaced by a series of dirty white or greyish mycelial threads or strands which can be traced up to 100 mm over the substrate.

Flesh: thin, dirty yellowish and composed of only one type of hypha.

Spores: borne in shallow pores which are part of a complicated network of rust-brown folds and ridges.

Spore-print: rust-brown.

Spores: medium sized, golden yellow, thick-walled and broadly ellipsoid, and 8-10 × 5-6 µm in size.

Cystidia: absent.

Habitat & Distribution: On worked wood in buildings and less commonly in timber-yards. It can be found throughout the year.

General Information: This fungus forms fan-like structures and strands of mycelium which pass along beams and joists and through plaster. Where there is a bad case of dry-rot, the room or building will have an unpleasant musty smell and when actually growing the fungus exudes droplets of water on the mycelium and fruit-body, i.e. weeping, hence the name ‘lacrymans’--weepy. It is a very important and destructive agent causing damage to floors and skirting boards, to joists and beams. It is a frequent pest of old houses and therefore of many of our cities. This fungus does not appear to have been found in the wild in Europe, but there is a record from the Himalayas. There are, however, very closely related species found on soil or wood-detritus. The Dry-rot fungus darkens the wood and produces a rot which makes the wood crack into small cubes or rectangular blocks.

This fungus was formerly placed in Merulius, but this genus should be retained for hyaline-spored fungi, e.g. M. tremellosus Fries, a species which grows even in winter on stumps of various trees in our woods.

Illustrations: LH 53; WD 103³.

~Coniophora puteana~ (Fries) Karsten

Cellar or Wet-rot fungus

Description:

Fruit-body: variable in size, resupinate, composed of one type of hypha only and with a sterile whitish cream or yellow margin.

Spore-bearing tissue: an irregularly wrinkled or humpy, yellowish surface which then becomes olive-green or bronze-colour.

Spore-print: olivaceous brown.

Spores: olive-brown under the microscope, smooth, ellipsoid, thick-walled and 12-14 × 8-9 µm in size.

Cystidia: absent.

Habitat & Distribution: This fungus causes wet-rot in houses, but may also be found on stumps and fallen trunks in woodland.