Inonotus cuticularis

(Bull.) P. Karst.

Growing from a stem wound on beech in Epping Forest, Essex.
Old brackets on a decayed pruning wound on a highway beech in Southend, Essex
Old brackets on (and fallen from) a basal stem wound on beech in Epping Forest, Essex
Old brackets (adjacent to Trametes gibbosa) on a limb fracture on beech in the New Forest, Hampshire
Maturing fruiting bodies as seen from beneath on beech

Growing from a stem wound on beech in Epping Forest, Essex.
Old brackets on a decayed pruning wound on a highway beech in Southend, Essex
Old brackets on (and fallen from) a basal stem wound on beech in Epping Forest, Essex
Old brackets (adjacent to Trametes gibbosa) on a limb fracture on beech in the New Forest, Hampshire
Maturing fruiting bodies as seen from beneath on beech
The felty upper surface of fruit bodies common for this species.
Very senescent and weathered fruit bodies (adjacent to Trametes gibbosa) on a failed beech stem in the New Forest, UK.
Fallen fruit bodies at the base of beech in Epping Forest, UK.
Large brackets high up in the scaffold crown of a hybrid oak in Harlow, UK.
Large brackets high up in the scaffold crown of a hybrid oak in Harlow, UK.

Common name

Clustered bracket

Often found on

Beech.

Sometimes found on

Elm; oak.

Location

Stem and scaffold limbs (often on or adjacent to wounds) – be certain to look for fallen blackened fruiting bodies around the base of the tree and still attached (sometimes only partly) to the tree.

Description

Annual . Found growing often in clusters (tiers / decks). Fruiting bodies begin a yellow-orange mass and quickly develop into brackets that are orange-gold on the upper surface and a little hairy (hispid). Pore layer off-white. Flesh and tubes brown. Spore yellow (look for spider webs beneath that are stained yellow). Maturing brackets exude yellowish liquid on the underside. Can become quite large. Fruiting bodies blacken in autumn and sometimes fall from the tree.

Confused with

Inonotus hispidus (found often on apple, ash, whitebeam and walnut).

Significance

Currently, there exists a lack of direct research on its pathogenicity, though this fungus has sometimes been associated with the failure of large limbs that have been subject to a simultaneous white rot (photo d). More research has been undertaken on Inonotus hispidus, which can cause limb failure and has the ability to act pathogenically.