this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2023
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Mycology

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We found a lot of that blue wood lying around before finding these little fellas that produce it.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can the blue wood be stabilised and used in woodworking projects? I guess even then having fungal dust in the air is probably all the worse for your lungs

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I doubt it. All the blue wood that we saw was very brittle and/or mushy. I think the mushroom probably needs the wood to be somewhat broken down (and maybe soaked?) to start colonizing it. And then it breaks it down even further. But I suppose it might look really cool in some resin projects!

Edit: Look what I just found on Wikipedia:

It is this compound that is responsible for the characteristic bluish-green stain of wood infected by this species, used today in decorative woodworking such as Tunbridge ware and parquetry. The use of this wood, known as "green oak", goes back to 15th century Italy, where it was used in intarsia panels made by Fra Giovanni da Veroni