Rare Glue fungus in Assynt
A rare fungus of hazel trees was found in March 2012 by Stuart Belshaw at Inverkirkaig. It is called Glue Fungus, Hymenochaete corrugata, and has only previously been recorded in Assynt four times.
The Glue Fungus is so called because it glues dead hazel twigs to living branches in the canopy. This strategy prevents the dead twigs falling to the ground where they would be available for decomposition by other fungi. It is a clever way to avoid competition with soil fungi and also other wood rotting species that function in the damper conditions at ground level.
Observational evidence suggests there is a very close association between Glue Fungus and the Hazel Gloves fungus, Hypocreopsis rhododendri. Hazel Gloves is confined to long-standing hazel woods and is a very rare species in world terms. It is a Red Data List and UKBAP priority species. The west coast of Argyll is its heartland, and it has not been found as far north as Sutherland. Of course that could be because not many folk have looked for it.
Both Glue Fungus and Hazel Gloves occur on ancient hazel trees that have not been severely cut over or coppiced at any time. The Atlantic hazel woods that occur on the west coast of Scotland are sites of world importance for fungi and lichens.
There is a brief mention of the Glue Fungus in this article on our website from December 2017.