I guess most of us would shy away from buying antiques infested with a wood-destroying fungus - unless the agent of decay is this one. The green staining in this dead branch is caused by the green elf-cup fungus Chlorociboria aeruginascens (which used to be called Chlorosplenium aeruginascens) and the tinted wood was once used to make Tunbridge Ware - furniture inlaid with a patterned veneer of different coloured woods. According to John Ramsbottom in his Mushrooms and Toadstools (New Naturalist, 1953) the green pigmentation is produced by a fungal compound called xylindeine and Ramsbottom mentions that patents had been taken out on a process to produce attractive green wood by artificially inoculating it with the fungus, so that cabinet makers wouldn't need to forage for it in the woods. I wonder if the process was ever developed and commercialised? The fungus is very common and widespread on a variety of different trees, including oak, ash, beech, hazel and birch and the tinted wood is commonly known as 'green oak'. The fruiting bodies look like small, cup-shaped green scales on the surface of the rotting wood, but they aren't produced very often so are not easy o find.
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Is it really common and widespread? Not only have I never seen the fruiting cups (which are obviously rarely produced) but I can't recall ever consciously seeing the green-stained wood even though I've always known about it.
ReplyDeleteHi Scriptor, I quite often find it in these parts - mostly in oak woods. It's most conspicuous in wet weather, when the green colouration is much stronger - so maybe the best way to find it is to walk in the rain! I've only found the fruiting bodies two or three times (and I can't find my photos of them!)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to find that one. Found Scarlet Elf Cup before, but that's a different kettle of fish isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHm!
ReplyDeleteThanks once again Phil..a wonderful fungus. I'll keep a sharp eye out.
ReplyDeleteFascinating Phil.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this one before.
I shall look out for that when next in the local woods, might have to wait until spring. Thanks for this post, you have increased my knowledge yet again!
ReplyDeleteHi Rob., I remember finding it on Bug Club outings with Bogue, maybe in Slindon Woods? I wonder how difficult it is to work with...?
ReplyDeleteHi Ellen, my sentiments exactly....
ReplyDeleteVery unusual colour isn't it Adrian - a bit like verdigris...
ReplyDeleteHi Keith, it's easy to overlook because it's only really visible when infected branches are broken...
ReplyDeleteHi Toffeeapple, Ramsbottom's book is full of interesting insights into the fungal kingdom...
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil. Unfortunately if one wants to walk nowadays it all too often seems to be in the rain!
ReplyDelete