Dyer’s maze gill.
Fir, larch, pine, spruce.
Cherry, and other broad-leaved species.
Found usually at the base of the tree / out on structural roots – may be found up the trunk on larger trees. Persists on dead trees and stumps.
Annual. Soft when fresh. A little rubbery / corky. Singularly or in close overlapping groups. Begins as a strikingly yellowish mass before quickly developing into a bracket that is brownish-purple on the upper surface. Bruises brownish-purple where areas are still fresh and yellow. Pore surface white-brown. Maze-like pores. Bruises when touched. When growing from buried roots, a stem may be present, to elevate the bracket. Desiccates to a dark brown-purple and hardens.
Inonotus hispidus (different host range – not on roots); Laetiporus sulphureus (different host range – remains yellow).
Attributed to a cubical brown rot of the heartwood. Attributed to stem failure and root failure. Causes cavity formation. May enter via root-to-root contact or active pathogenesis, as has been demonstrated in North America on slash pine (Pinus elliottii). Where targets exist, investigations into structural stability and hollowness may be required.