"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
writes

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
. net...

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

Honey fungus spreads by underground rhizomorphs (bootlaces). It
finds
a
tree, enters via the collar at gound/soil juction, kills the
tree
then
uses
the dead wood as a sugar (food) source while it forages on via
more
bootlaces. Or it finds a lump of dead tree and uses it in the
same
way.

It's one of our commonest fungi. How come there are still trees
in
the
UK? ;-)

I think - as I suspect you do - that it only attacks dead trees.

That's been our experience.

It's not in any parasite's interest to kill all potential hosts.

Unless it can thrive on the dead host as well. {:-))

Then it's a saprophite.

Saprophyte?

Oh it's a long time ago ...

...phyte.

But my understanding is that honey fungus can invade both living and dead
plants.

Yes, mine too. But if it's as invasive as suggested, why is it not a
problem in our woodlands?

I think the reason is that it can invade a live plant only through a surface
wound

Franz