Again, this was found at Epping Forest during yesterday’s visit with the Ancient Tree Forum. This time, we can see a very hefty Ganoderma sp. (suspected Ganoderma applanatum), found fruiting upon a long and very extensive dead column of a beech (Fagus sylvatica) stem. The actual tree is still alive, though the crown is rather small in comparison to the entire structure.
Here we can observe the sporophore emanating from a dead section of its host. A slight upward orientation of the sporophore can be seen. Has its host shifted slightly in orientation, due to the decay?From this angle, the growth increments can really be identified. A beatiful sporophore!And we can see howe bleedin’ massive it is! Also note the small sporophore on the same side but right at the base, and a slightly larger one on the floor beneath. On the right hand side of the small basal hollow, we can also see the remnants of an old sporophore (again Ganoderma sp.).Here is the beech as a whole. It evidently has only half a crown.
Arboriculture 