This poor tree, after having the top of its canopy ripped apart by a wind storm, developed a long wedge of decay along its trunk. The mushrooms are pretty to look at, but the Red oak leans right over the house. The decay is on the tension side of the lean, so the tree will have to go.
The mushrooms are probably the fruiting body of Ganoderma applanatum.
Look at the center of the photo. There you will see a reddish-brown mushroom, nestled amongst dwarf Liriope.
It is attached to the base of a mature Post oak, Quercus stellata (background). This particular mushroom is the reproductive organ of Ganoderma lucidum. Ganoderma is a key indicator of decay in trees. It is also harvested by medicinal herbalists for its presumed health benefits. Some Chinese herbalists refer to it as the "mushroom of immortality."
Perhaps this moniker is true for people, but for the host tree it means "mushroom of problems."
