My understanding of these things is small – okay, all but non-existant – but I have always thought that mushrooms grew on dead wood. Well, as the title suggest, my 25 or so year old Red Bud Tree has its trunk completely circled with mushrooms. Is this normal? Is this okay? Is there something wrong with my Red Bud? The tree still has its leaves and I first noticed the mushrooms a couple weeks ago. The 'shrooms are just above ground level.
They’re growing out of the trunk?
If they are growing out of the base of the trunk, it is probably parasitic - some version of root rot or heart rot. Armillaria melea, the Honey Mushroom, is one of the most common culprits, though one site I checked claimed that the California Red Bud at least was somewhat resistant. A few of sites with info ( all fairly similar ):
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/armillaria/armillaria.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/p415armillaria.html
http://ext.nrs.wsu.edu/forestryext/foresthealth/notes/armillariarootrot.htm
If they were growing out of the ground around the trunk they could have been as above or they could have been be a symbiotic mycorrhizal fungus ( i.e. a “good guy” mushroom ). However for the life of me I can’t dig up whether Cersis have ectomycorrhizae ( the type that forms mushrooms ) or not. I’m guessing not ( it’s not as common in the pea family ), but I dunno. Anyway, moot point as from your description they actually seem to be growing right out of the base.
I’d say if you are worried about the possibility of losing it you should call in a qualified arborist to give it the once over.
- Tamerlane
Well, I was going to suggest wearing condoms, but then I found out this was a botany problem.
Well, I was going to suggest some Pink Floyd, but then I found out this was a botany problem.
Well, I was going to suggest flea shampoo, but then I found out this was a botany problem.
Well, I was going to suggest some 1920’s-style Death Rays, but then…
I’m sorry, I can’t go through with it.
Well, I was going to suggest sautéed oinions instead, but then I found out this was a botany problem.
Lichen on tree trunks looks sorta fungal, and it’s possible that’s what your tree has. You didn’t give us a lot of detail about the mushrooms. Lichen on trees is harmless. If it’s actually mushrooms, it could indicate rot.
How old a tree is it? Redbuds are often short-lived trees. My hometown’s government decided about 25 years ago to become the “Redbud Capital of America.” Tens of thousands of redbud trees were planted. It looked great every spring…for a while. Now, most of them are dead, and we no longer make any “capital” claims.
I’m glad you mentioned it was a tree. I thought I’d been majically transported back to the '70s. 
Regards
Testy
I’ve been searching some mushroom websites (in addition to **Tamerlane’s ** links, this one looks like fun)and I’m beginning to think it could be lichen. No stems, which seems to be the giveaway. What it looks like is a golden brown disk. If you could imagine a frisbee slammed into a tree with enough force to penetrate, you’ve got the idea.
Thanks to **Tamerlane ** and **AskNott ** for your help. And to the rest of you for the laughs.
Hmmm…well, you may not be out of the woods yet. What you are describing sounds like a conk, which is just a different sort of mushroom. It could still indicate a problem. A rather “famous” conk-producing fungus:
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/march99.html
Go here to browse a few pictures of polypores ( not all conk-forming ):
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/images/332/Basidiomycota/Hymenomycetes/Polyporaceae/
- Tamerlane
A shelf fungus, or conk typically means your tree is sick and the fungus has invaded the wood. Usually you see them on dead tree stumps, but weakened trees often will have them (as the tree loses the ability to fight off the fungus the fungus finally wins). Even trees that have beneficial relationships with fungi tend to lose out at the end of their life and their “partner” fungi finally decide the host tree is food instead. If you lift a patch of bark up and look at the sap wood underneath below the fungus and see that it is blackened or discolored (the wood under the bark is usually light in color, or on a smaller branch green), your tree is probably doomed.