Parasitic & Bracket fungi

Some fungi are parasites, that is, they sponge off the life of a living tree. In some cases this kills the young saplings or even full size trees.

Bracket fungi are quite large and they don't have gills, instead they have holes called polypores. 'Beef Steak Fungus', 'Scarlet Bracket Fungus', 'Rainbow Bracket Fungus', 'Curry Pink', Coriolus versicolor and Piptoporus portentosus are some of the species of bracket fungi in Western Australia.

Most bracket fungi live off live trees. Their hollow threads weave their way around the inside of the living tree sucking up the nutrients that the tree would use for its own health.

This photo was taken at Warren River, Pemberton National Park in the south-west, July. What you are seeing when you run your mouse over this picture is underneath of the bracket fungus magnified at 60x. There are still nutrients left in a rotting log.

Other fungi living off live or dead trees have gills and could be the 'Fan Fungi', some 'Curtain Fungi', 'Oyster Mushrooms' fungi and others from the Agaric family.

Willetton Regional Park Perth.

Other fungi living off live or dead trees without gills are 'Jelly fungi' 'Witch's Butter', 'False Club Fungi', 'Skin Fungi', 'Flask Fungi', one type of 'Ink Cap'. Some of these are from the Tremellalles family.

Here on these pages we are showing you fungi that grows on trees or branches. Some of these are bracket fungi and some are not.

Warren River, Pemberton National Park in July. We counted 60 fungi on the one branch and saw them often. One measured 1.3cm wide

Warren River, Pemberton National Park in July. Fungi thriving on mossy logs.

Warren River, Pemberton National Park in July.

Tuart forest near Busselton, July 10. One measured 17cmw x 10cmh. These seven large fungi were growing on a Peppermint tree. The gills on these fungi were white and something had taken a bite out of one of them.

Willetton Regional park, Perth suburbs. This large fungus has white gills underneath.

Serpentine, Peel, May 16.

Serpentine, Peel, May19.

Yalgorup National Park, Peel, September. This is a limestone area.

Tuart forest July 11.
23.3cmw x 9.5cmh. This fungi had white gills and was growing on a Pepperment tree. It gave off a strong smell and their were small bite marks on it.

Serpentine Peel, May 16.

Tuart forest July 11. Sizes varied.
One measured 4.1cmw x 2.5. There were over 200 of these on one Tuart tree! They did not have gills and some had nibble marks on them.

Pemberton,Warren National Park in the south-west, December. There was over 100 fungi on this fallen branch.

Mundaring, Darling Range, Perth, June. This was a beautiful yellow/orange colour.

Tuart forest, near Busselton, July 11. Growing on a Peppermint tree
13cm w x 8cmh. This fungus had no gills and was orange and white underneath. There was only one and nothing had eaten it.

Albany Hwy July 16 growing on Marri a tree. This is not a good photo but this fungus had a purple band around the edge. There was only one.

Warren River, Pemberton National Park in July. One measured 4cm wide and were growing on a mossy Karri tree. They had gills.

Pemberton, Warren National Park in the south-west in December.

Perup forest near Manjimup in the south-west July 12. One fungi was 3cm wide. There were 14 of these fungi but we couldn't get any more details as it started to hail!

Pemberton, Warren National Park in the south-west in December.

This fungus was flat growing on a tree seen in May.
It measured 1.5cm wide.

This fungus was found alone in Cardup Nature reserve, near Byford, in October. The nearest trees were Jarrah.