This is a supplement to the main Wood Decay page.
Here are simply lists, with annotations, of some important decays with a focus on North America. They are in 3 categories: stem decays of living trees, root and butt rots, and primarily saprobic decays (i.e., decaying dead trees).
Stem Decays
Some important decays of stems of living trees| Fungus | Names | Decay type | Common hosts | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dichomitus squalens | (disease) red ray rot | white pocket rot (often indistinct pockets) | Pinus ponderosa | = Polyporus anceps; enters branch stubs; decays heartwood in radial streaks; FIDL; Rocky Mountain Region Field Guide Entry |
| Echinodontium tinctorium | (fungus) Indian paint fungus; (disease) rust-red stringy rot | white rot | many non-pine conifers | enters branch stubs, dead twigs; one conk represents very extensive decay |
| Fomitopsis officinalis | (fungus) quinine fungus | brown rot | was once a major source of medicinal quinine | |
| Inonotus glomeratus | white rot | Acer spp. (maples), Fagus grandifolia (American beech) | small "clinker conks" (not the actual fruiting) in stubs that won't heal | |
| Inonotus obliquus | (fungus) clinker conk; cinder conk | white rot | Betula spp. (birches) | large "clinker conks" are sterile; real conks appear after tree dies |
| Phellinus igniarius | (fungus) false tinder fungus; (disease) white trunk rot | white rot | many hardwoods | very common and important in eastern North America and Europe |
| Phellinus tremulae | (disease) white trunk rot | white rot | aspens (Populus spp.) | very similar to Phellinus igniarius; FIDL |
| Porodaedalea pini | (disease) red ring rot | white pocket rot | many conifers | punk knots |
| Stem decays of spruce and fir in the Rocky Mountains | FIDL | |||
| Stem decays of Abies spp. (true firs) | FIDL |
Root and Butt Rots
Some important decays of roots and butts of living trees| Fungus | Names | Decay type | Common hosts | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armillaria (many species) | (fungus) honey mushroom; (disease) Armillaria root rot; shoestring root rot | white rot | many hardwoods and conifers, depending on the pathogen species | often associated with stress in hardwoods; FIDL |
| Heterobasidion spp. | (disease) annosus root disease, Heterobasidion root disease | white rot, may be pitted or laminated | many conifers | |
| Onnia spp. | (disease) red root rot, tomentosus root rot | white pocket rot | Picea, Abies, Larix, Pinus, Pseudotsuga, Thuja, and Tsuga | decay preceded by red stain |
Saprobic Decays
Decaying dead trees or dead portions of live trees| Fungus | Names | Decay type | Common hosts | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trametes versicolor | (fungus) turkey-tail (after the concentric zones of color) | white rot | many hardwoods | annual |
| Cryptoporus volvatus | (fungus) pouch fungus | white rot | many conifers | One of the first colonizers of dead conifers, fruiting as early as one year after death. Seems to primarily feed on phloem and cambium, although it is said to decay sapwood also. Has a cover beneath the pore layer until maturity (the genus name means of course "hidden pores"; annual |
| Trichaptum abietinum | pitted white rot | many conifers | Like most Trichaptum spp., the active margin and pore surface have more or less purple color; annual | |
| Fomitopsis pinicola | (fungus) red belt fungus | brown rot | many conifers | Produces sometimes thick mycelial mats in shrinkage checks in advanced stages. Can also cause butt rot or stem decay of living trees in some areas; perennial |