Red Belt Fungus
From Bugwoodwiki
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Contents |
Hosts
Dead conifers in Idaho and Montana.
Distribution
Range of hosts.
Damage
This is one of the most common wood decay fungi in the Northwestern United States. Fomitopsis pinicola is almost exclusively a saprophyte, rotting dead trees and stumps. It is considered important for nutrient recycling in forests.
Identification
Both sapwood and heartwood of dead trees are decayed by this fungus. The wood becomes yellowish to pale brown, dry and crumbly in the early stages of decay. Later the rot becomes red-brown and cubically cracked with white felts of mycelium in some of the cracks. Conks are variable in form and may range up to a foot or more in diameter. Hoof-shaped conks have a tan to dark brown upper surface with a red band near the margin (fig. 6). The lower surface is white with minute pores. Young conks start as thick mounds of white or cream-colored tissue without visible pores. At all stages of development, conks are tough and corky, a characteristic which distinguishes this species from most common wood-rotting fungi.
Similar damages
Numerous other fungi cause brown rot of dead trees. The fruiting body distinguishes this fungus.
Comparison of Common Heartrots in Species Other Than Western Redcedar
| Fungus | Hosts | Shape | Upper Surface | Lower Surface | Context | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Echinodontium tinctorium | 1. GF, WH
2. SAF | Hoof-under branch | Brown; woody | Tan; teeth projecting downward | Orange | Decay yellow orange, stringy |
| Phellinus pini | 1. DF,LPP,WL
2.Other conifers | Hoof or flat
on bark | Dark brown | Cinnamon
to tan | Cinnamon | Stringy decay with pro-
nounced white pockets, punk knots on tree stem, red-brown dis- coloration in heartwood |
| Phaeolus schweinitzii | 1. DF
2. Other conifers | Thick shelf or on ground; non-woody | Brown; velvety | Green-fresh; Brown-old large pored | Brown | Brown cubical decay of heartwood; thin, resinous felts some-
times in shrinkage cracks of decay. Root and butt rot. |
| Fomitopsis officionalis | 1. WL,PP
2. Other conifers | Hoof or cylindric large;
chalky consistency | Yellow, white or cream | Yellow
or white; pored | Yellow
white | Brown cubical decay of heartwood only. Thick, white felts in shrinkage cracks of decay. |
| Fomitopsis pinicola | All dead conifers | Thick shelf
or hoof; corky consistency | Brown with red "belt" along margin | Cream;
small pored | Cream | Brown cubical decay of both sapwood and heartwood, dead trees and stumps. |
References
Bega, R. V. 1978. Diseases of Pacific Coast conifers. USDA For. Serv. Ag. Hndbk. No. 521, 206 p.
Boyce, J. S. 1961. Forest Pathology. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, NY. 572 p.
Hepting, G. E. 1971. Diseases of forest and shade trees of the United States. USDA For. Serv. Ag. Hndbk. No. 386, 658 p.
Kimmey, J. W. 1964. Heartrots of western hemlock. USDA For. Serv., For. Pest Leaflet 90, 7 p.
Field Guide to Diseases and Insect Pests of Idaho and Montana Forests, USDA Forest Service Northern Region, Publication Number R1-89-54
