The Many-Zoned Polypore, Trametes
versicolor - in the USA it goes by the common name of Turkey Tails - can be found all through the year, but it is most
abundant in winter. This very variable fungus grows mainly on dead hardwood. Trametes
versicolor is tough and inedible.
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The wide range of colour variations of this attractive and
durable fungus have given it many uses; at one time it was even used as a
hat decoration.
You may also see references to this species as Coriolus versicolor or as Polyporus versicolor. (At one time a great many of the
bracket fungi were grouped under the genus Polyporus.) |
Size |
Caps can be up to 10 cm in diameter, and they
frequently overlap in layers to form much larger compound fruiting masses.
These brackets are 1 to 3 mm thick. |
Description |
While the upper surface comprises concentric
zones of red, yellow, green, blue, brown, black and white, the underside,
which is covered in tiny shallow pores, is white or cream. The pores do
not stain when bruised.
The range of colours from one sample to another of this fungus is
tremendous. |
Spores |
White. |
Odour/taste |
No distinctive smell or taste. |
Habitat |
This thin, leathery fungus attacks dead wood,
fallen or standing. It is most commonly found on hardwoods such as beech
and oak. |
Season |
These annual bracket fungi can be found all
the year round, but are at their best in autumn and winter, which is when
they release their spores. |
Occurrence |
Frequent. |
Similar species |
- Trametes suaveolens is a
much paler bracket and does not usually grown in overlapping tiers.
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