Sulphureus brown cubical rot
- Latin name: Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.:Fr.) Murrill
- French name: Carie brune cubique à Laetiporus sulphureus
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Synonym(s): Polyporus sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Fr.,
Sporotrichum versisporum (C.G. Lloyd) Stalpers
Description
Micro-habitat(s)
Trunk
Distribution
Canada
Damage, symptoms and biology
In eastern Canada, the bright orange-yellow fruiting bodies generally appear in July. They turn white and then break up starting in August.
Fruiting bodies are often not formed until years after the fungus is well established, so when present, they indicate significant internal defect. The rot is generally restricted to the butt log. When present in recreation sites, infected trees should be considered hazardous and should be removed.
Other information
The decay caused by L. sulphureus is similar to that of Fomitopsis officinalis, but the mycelial felts are not bitter. Laetiporus sulphureus is commonly harvested as an edible fungus, easily identified by the morphology and bright yellow colour of its fruiting bodies. On conifers, the fruiting bodies of Laetiporus huroniensis Burd. & Banik are often confused with those of L. sulphureus.
Canadian Forest Service Publications
Information on host(s)
Main host(s)
Butternut, Garry oak, red oak, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, white ash
Secondary host(s)
Amabilis fir, American chestnut, ashes, birch, black cherry, elms, maple, ponderosa pine, poplars / aspens / cottonwoods, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, shore pine, spruces, subalpine fir, western redcedar, western white pine, willow
Photos
Fruiting bodies of L. sulphureus Alan Stewart
Fruiting bodies of L. sulphureus Eric Allen
Brown cubical rot symptom caused by L. sulphureus J. Brown
White mycelial felts associated with decay Rollie Banyard