When exploring the large parkland area I have spoken about a few times over the last few days, I came across a copper beech (Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea) with a very discernible graft point. Looking closer, I also saw signs of fungal colonisation (unsure on species, though I suspect one from the Ganoderma genus).
From this distance, it looks like someone tried to see if the beech worked in a similar fashion to Russian dolls!A closer look reveals just how significant the bulging is around the graft union. To the butt of the beech, we can also see a slight browning – perhaps an old fungal fruiting body?Looking more closely at the suspected fungal bracket region, it appears that there was indeed something there.On the other side of the base we can see another region suggestive of an old fungal bracket. From this image in particular, it appears that a Ganoderma species has colonised. I can only suspect as such however, as there were no in-tact fruiting bodies of any description near to or on the tree. Reaction growth around the base also indicates a selective white rot of some descript, of which Ganoderma species are.
Arboriculture 