A response from a friend in UK who also writes on UK fungi. From: Richard Lehman <[email protected]>
Thanks Rakesh. I haven't a clue about Indian fungi of course and these are bracket fungi of some kind though there may be three different fungi here which I can't see very well. Although such fungi damage and kill trees, they can also live in useful symbiosis with them, feeding on their central parts and thus creating a hollow structure. That's not only handy for coffee plantation workers taking shelter, but it also makes the tree much lighter while having little effect on its structural ability to withstand wind and other stresses. So for example there are oaks in our Royal Parks which are nearly a thousand years old and quite hollow but still stand up to winter gales every year and support eco-systems of hundreds of organisms, including dozens of fungi as well as Her Majesty the Queen when sheltering from rain. Richard PS Sorry - I hadn't opened the attachments properly.There are four different fungi of course but none of them are species I can recognise from this European island I'm afraid. Fallen Dhoopa tree – home to number of mushrooms and estate workers ! The fallen and dead dhoopa tree in a coffee estate in Coorg is home not only to a number of mushrooms but also provides shelter to a lot many estate workers who take refuge in the hollow trunks during rains. One of the huge dhoopa trees I have ever seen. Local Name: Dhoopa (Kannada language) (can be drilled down further into one of the below trees. 1. Kari maddi / haalu maddi/black dammar) /canarium strictum 2. Bili maddi / Malabar ailanto (Ailanthus triphysa, ). I would like to know how to differentiate these two varieties. Regards Raghu ------------------------------ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "indiantreepix" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
