Dyers mazegill (Phaeolus schweinitzii)

Common host(s)                    Conifers especially sitka spruce, douglas fir, pine, larch. Can also affect oak and cherry.

Colonisation strategy            Often gains entry through the roots (where Armillaria sp. can be a precursor) and occasionally through fresh wounds above the ground.

Symptoms                              Small to medium sized soft, spongy brackets, fan-shaped. Dark rusty-brown with lighter coloured margins. Annual.

Type of rot                             Heart rot. Brown cubical rot.

Part(s) of tree affected          Fruiting bodies occur near ground level, sometimes partly in the soil. Infection occurs via roots and travels to butt. Seldom higher in the stem.

Significance                            Causes root-plate or stem collapse. Brittle fracture.

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