Red-banded polypore.
Alder, beech, birch, pine (currently – host range is greatly expanding, in the UK).
Many other angio- and conifers.
Found growing at locations along the entire above-ground scaffold structure of the host.
Perennial . Rubbery when young though becoming tough and woody. Begins as a yellow-white mass before developing an orange-red upper surface – sometimes varnished. Growth increments mature to a purplish-brown colour. Often banded with red. Rimmed white when new growth increments being laid down. Pore layer off-white – sometimes exuding water. Flesh creamy-beige white. Tube layer deep and yellow-white.
Daedaleopsis confragosa (often growing in similar locations – this fungus has maze-like pores and often blushed reddish brown); Ganoderma australe (brown flesh).
Attributed to a cubical brown rot of the wood. Parasitic though may not be able to breach reaction zones. Exists as a vascular endophyte, prior to colonisation – entry can be via beetles and wounds. Colonises when host tree becomes stressed. Presence therefore signals physiological stress and decline. Where targets exist, consider tree removal or hollowness investigations , because the tree may fail locally to the decay. Becoming more prevalent in England.