Dryad’s saddle (Polyporous squamosus)

Polyporus-Squamosus

 

Common host(s)                    Many broadleaves, particularly sycamore. Also beech, ash, lime, elm. Not conifers.

Colonisation strategy             Mainly enters via branch wounds

Symptoms                              Annual distinctive fawn, yellow, pale brown fruiting bodies with darker brown scales on top. Creamy white undersides. Large, fan-shaped or semi-circular brackets with a short stem.

Type of rot                             White rot of sapwood which often causes localised cavities.

Part(s) of tree affected          Usually in crown, particularly at unions, but will infest recent stumps and trunk if there is an entry point. Common at old wounds where branches removed, and in splits/cracks at co-dominant stems.

Significance                            Failure of branches and unions is common.


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