Lenzites betulinus - Birch Mazegill

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Polyporales

From the top this attractive bracket is easily misidentified. There are so many colour variations in Trametes versicolor that it is almost forgivable to assume that any fan-shaped thin bracket with concentric, many-zoned bands on its upper surface must be yet another Turkeytail. No so! Just as variable in colour as Trametes versicolor is another thin and leathery fan-like bracket, again with many concentric colour bands, but there is one very important feature distinguishing it from Turkeytail. To spot the difference you have to look on the underside of a bracket. Lenzites betulinus has gills rather than pores. They aren’t merely very long magegill slots but structures very similar to the gills of an agaric mushroom… but the Birch Mazegill is, nevertheless, a polypore – taxonomically, that is!

Identification Guide

This picture shows an underside view of Lenzites betulina growing on a dying willow tree. Often, as in this instance, the Birch Mazegill forms tiers of many layers.

Description	Many-zoned, often reddish fan-like brackets, up to 10 cm across and 1 to 2 cm thick at the point of attachment; usually in tiers. The gills arewhite at first, turning brown with age; well-spaced or fairly close; sharp-edged; tough; up to 1 cm deep.
Spores	White.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive
Habitat	On living or dead hardwood trees.
Season	All through the year, but shedding spores in autumn.
Occurrence	Uncommon in most areas .
Similar species	Trametes versicolor, Turkeytail, has pores rather than gills.