Oak

Ectomycorrhiza and the royal mushrooms of the oak forest

The root system of oak is extremely powerful and forms a classic ectomycorrhiza with hundreds of species of macrofungi. In her "Key to the Fungi of Ukraine", M.Ya. Zerova singles out oak as the model partner tree for the bolete family (Boletaceae).

In his guide «Mushrooms», Roger Phillips describes the elite of the oak forest:

1. Summer bolete (Boletus reticulatus / Boletus quercicola): An early and extraordinarily fragrant kind of porcini. Its fleshy brown caps often appear under old oaks as early as late May.

2. Lurid boletes (Suillellus luridus / Suillellus queletii): Robust boletes with red pores whose flesh instantly turns blue when cut. They are classic mycorrhizal companions of oak.

3. Truffles (Tuber): The French black Périgord truffle and the summer truffle are strict partners of oak (and hazel). Their fruiting bodies ripen underground on the roots of this tree.

4. Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius): Oak forests often hide huge "fairy rings" of these golden mushrooms.

In «Mushrooms Demystified», David Arora pays special attention to the "dark side" of oak. Oak is the favorite partner tree of the death cap (Amanita phalloides). This deadly poisonous mushroom grows most often in oak forests, mimicking greenish brittlegills.

Saprotrophs on oak wood

Oak wood is hard and rich in tannins, so only specialized wood-decay fungi colonize it:

- Beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica): This amazing edible parasitic mushroom grows on the living trunks of old oaks. In appearance and when cut, it looks remarkably like a piece of raw, bloody meat or liver.

- Hen of the woods, or sheep's head (Grifola frondosa): A giant edible polypore that grows at the base of old oaks as a large clump of hundreds of small caps.