What's wrong with my plant? : Garden : University of Minnesota Extension

Buckeye > Trunk/branches > Fungi growing on trunk

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Leaves are small, turn yellow and drop prematurely
Canopy appears thin with few leaves and multiple dead branches
Fungal conks, semicircle shelf fungi, can be found from the base of the tree up to 3 feet high on the trunk
Conks are reddish brown and shiny on top, white and porous underneath, a rim of white may be visible on the edge of the growing conks
Infected wood at the base of the tree is white, soft, stringy or spongy
Infected trees frequently break or fall over in storms
More information on Ganoderma root and butt rot

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Infected trees have poor growth, dead branches in the upper canopy, undersized and/or yellow leaves
Flat white sheets of fungal growth (mycelial fans) between the bark and sapwood at the base of infected trees
Thick black, shoestring-like fungus can sometimes be seen under the bark, around roots and in the soil around the base of the tree
Wood is decayed, white, soft and spongy; this may extend from the base of the tree well up into the trunk
Trees frequently break or fall over in storms
Clusters of honey-colored mushrooms may grow at the base of the tree in fall
More information on Armillaria root rot

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Fungal fruiting bodies arise along the stem, near a pruning wound, crack or other wound
Many shapes and sizes of fungal bodies may be seen
Polyporus fungi produce mushrooms 12" or more across, yellow-tan above with a short dark stalk
Oxyporus may be a white corky mass of fungal growth or a thick white shelf fungi 6" across, often covered with green moss
The canopy may show no symptoms or may have small yellowing leaves or dead branches depending on the extent of the trunk decay
In cross section of the trunk, the wood at the center is discolored, soft, crumbling, stringy or spongy
More information on heart rot