Cellar Fungus

Coniophora puteana

Appearance

•  Mycelium-first whitish-yellow, later yellowish-brown.
•  Strands-yellowish-brown at first, later dark brown.
•  Sporophore-creamy-yellow at first, later olive-brown with a creamy margin.
•  Individual spores-0.01mm long and pale yellow-brown. Bulk spores–olive–brown.

Lifecycle

•  The growing body of microscopic threads (known as hyphae) invade the cells of the wood to form a vegetativesurface (or mycelium).
•  Strands may be thick and felted on wood and extensive on walls. The sporophore formed of strands is a thin, plate-like skin with smooth irregular bumps.

Habits

•  This may attack timber in buildings where there has been serious water ingress, through such things as leaking roof tiles, broken guttering, failed plumbing and rising damp.
•  It is also a common cause of decay in external painted joinery and other timbers.