Fungus(?) that looks like varicose veins

[exploreparadise2]

I found this growth in a wet crawl space. It looks spidery, vein-like. I thought it was more interesting than the dark, sometimes fuzzy, splotches I usually see.

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[John Kogel]

It is not only more interesting, but also more serious. That looks like a species of fungi that attacks wood and turns it into dry chunks that fall apart.

The good part is it won't attack your clients, although it could turn on them too, if it gets real hungry. []

[schimmeljager]

It may attack the inhabitants by making them fall down through the floor.

But it the fungus could be one of those producing edible fruiting bodies (mushrooms), for example Armillaria mellea - honey mushroom. It may be something else thorugh, non-edible. But look at figure 2 here for example http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls ... ecline.htm

[schimmeljager]

What kind of wood is this btw?

[John Kogel]

What kind of wood is this btw?

If you are referring to the original pics, some kind of northwest softwood. If it was here in my area, I'd say Western Hemlock. Could be Spruce or Pine. It may have been carrying the mushroom spores when the house was built. They usually kiln-dry hemlock to reduce its moisture content, but then it can sit in a lumber yard for a year or so.

To get Honey mushrooms from a piece of lumber, it needs to be water-soaked and rotten. I do see mushrooms coming out of lumber from time to time, but haven't been hungry enough to eat them. I'm hoping the local economy will recover before things reach that stage. []

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[schimmeljager]

To get Honey mushrooms from a piece of lumber, it needs to be water-soaked and rotten. I do see mushrooms coming out of lumber from time to time, but haven't been hungry enough to eat them. I'm hoping the local economy will recover before things reach that stage. []

Armillaria usually infect trees when they are still alive. So I am not sure they could even happen to in a house. I never heard of that. There some other typical wood-rot fungi (many of which could produce macroscopic fruiting bodies). Most of them are not really edible, not poisonous but just too tough. However, once I was contacted by some guy who had oyster mushroom (Pleurotus) growing at the edge of the floor of the apartment he was renting. He sent pictures.

[Chad Fabry]

However, once I was contacted by some guy who had oyster mushroom (Pleurotus) growing at the edge of the floor of the apartment he was renting. He sent pictures.

Holy Cow! Pleurotus?, that's a hoot. In an apartment? Well that blows the "all pleurotus are homeowners" axiom right out of the water.

makes mental note to find out wtf pleurotus is

[Tom Raymond]

It's clearly a mushroom with psychotropic properties, and I think he's eaten a few too many.

[hausdok]

Poria Incrassata - AIDS for wood. Lots of it here in the NW and it is pretty tough stuff - even kind of scoffs at PT wood.

Nuke it with BoraCare fast.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[exploreparadise2]

Thanks for the fungus ID Mike. The property had drainage problems and the crawl space looked like it had been been wet for the 10 years since the house was built. This was a pre-offer inspection on a million-dollar property close to Microsoft. There were at least four competing bids on the house in spite of its problems.