Can you identify this dead tree - important

[Reusername]

This dead? tree in within our land we believe. We need to identify it because we have a historic plan of trees and our horrible old neighbour is claiming the land as hers as well as dumping rubbish there. Also does anyone know what the black fungus is? Thank you in advance.

.I can't see the black fungus clearly enough, but you could try cramp balls, Daldinia concentrica. Very hard, like rounded lumps of coal. If it is that, then it most commonly grows on ash, and you can check your bark against internet pictures (Google Fraxinus bark rather than ash bark for more relevant results).

Thank you

I'm inclined to think that the bark looks rather like mature field maple - acer campestre.

As for the fungus, no idea.

It's not ash, that has smoother bark. How tall is the tree?

Fungus isn't very clear from your photo but possibly King Alfred's cakes?

Possibly Elder

Sorry, didn't see MereDinto had already said the same thing, crampballs is another name for King Alfred's cakes.

Black fungus often affects fruit trees, both cultivated or wild.
Could it be an apple or cherry?

Looks like elder to me.

Apple?

I put it in my plant identifier app and it came up with field maple too if that helps

Elder.

Another vote for Elder.

I'm going for elder too. How dead is it? Are there any new branches at all as elder is quite distinctive in having a pithy centre within branches.

Bark looks like my willow tree

I think It’s Elder, it apparently quite commonly grows black fungus which our tree surgeon told me is edible, after our neighbour was complaining about ‘toxic fungus’ near her garden.

@Weedsnseeds1

It's not ash, that has smoother bark. How tall is the tree?

Mature ash has a rougher bark

It would be good to see a closeup of the fungus

I think elder but I'm looking at the branches at the top of the photo.

Any chance of another picture at the top OP? To see some of the smaller branches? Elder has a distinctive smell

If she's claiming land, I'd pay an experienced accredited tree surgeon to write a few lines confirming what trees you have to use as evidence rather than random MN opinions

I'll get DH to climb up and see if he can get some better photos. It's more of a stump to be honest and I'm going to cut into it to see if it is properly dead! I'll also post some fungus photos. I'm pretty sure it's not ash as we have. a lot here and I don't think it looks the same to me.

It's not an ash to my eye. Deffo not a cherry. pretty sure its not pear or sycamore. Not walnut. The straight stems shooting from wehre it was (perhaps fatally?) chopped back are consistent with elder, but I wouldn't rule out apple or willow. Elder tends not to get as big as otehr trees before dying and/or falling over.

Looks too gnarly to be an oak as such a relatively small size, but its obviously been subject to a fair bit of chopping about over its lifetime, which does make it harder to tell.

If you show us the top of the tree we could possibly improve our guesses/or at least have an idea of how long its been dead for.

We do have an elm on the old plan - could it be an elm??

I can’t get above it as it’s on a bank