Why is dry rot called “dry” when the fungus is living and fleshy?
Dry rot is a living organism, and when it is in the early stages of its life cycle the fungus can sometimes look and feel fleshy as it spreads across timber.
After the fungus has passed through a piece of timber and extracted all the moisture and the nutrients from it, it leaves the timber dry, brittle, and crumbly.
This is where dry rot has gotten its name from, as ‘dry’ rot refers to the dry, decayed wood the fungus leaves in its wake, rather than its living form.
