urbpan: (dandelion)
[personal profile] urbpan
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Certain trees produce anti-fungal chemicals in their wood. Certain fungi are specialists on this kind of wood, having evolved a resistance to these chemicals. Relative immunity to phenols means that Gloeophyllum sepiarium* can invade the wood of pine and other conifers before other fungi can.

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Unfortunately for those of us who own pine picnic tables, this fungus is rapidly destructive. By the time this narrow foam of mushroom material appeared from a crack in the wood grain, the cellulose making up the cell walls of the wood was well on the way to being digested.

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It's only a matter of time before someone goes right through this picnic table. Perhaps I'll show you a little later.

*Gloeophyllum means "with glutinous or
sticky leaves"; sepiarium means "dark, sepia-colored."

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