Fungus
Turkey-tail
Trametes versicolorAlso known as Turkey Tail Fungus, Yun Zhi, Many-Zoned Polypore
Turkey-tail mushrooms grow in overlapping bracketed clusters on decaying hardwood logs and stumps across forests worldwide. Their caps display striking concentric bands of brown, tan, grey, blue, and orange with a fine velvety texture and a whitish porous underside. As essential white-rot saprobes, they break down lignin and recycle vital nutrients back into forest ecosystems.
Bracket FungusPolyporeSaprobic
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyLignin, Cellulose, Dead Hardwood
Predators
- Fungus Beetles
- Slug Species
- Mites
ThreatsGenerally secure; localized habitat loss from deforestation
HabitatsHardwood and coniferous forests, woodlands, dead logs and stumps
Life spanPerennial or persistent annual brackets
Classification
- OrderPolyporales
- FamilyPolyporaceae
- GenusTrametes
- SpeciesTrametes versicolor
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many wild fungi have toxic look-alikes; never ingest wild mushrooms based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Examine the Underside: Flip the bracket to check for tiny white to cream pores rather than gills or a smooth surface.
- Feel the Texture: Look for a velvety cap surface paired with a thin, pliable, leathery feel.
- Leave in Place: Allow these brackets to continue decomposing dead wood and building rich forest soil.
Look-Alike (c) Christine Young, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christine Young · cc-by
Look-Alike (c) Erlon Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Erlon Bailey · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Richard Jacob, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Richard Jacob · cc-by
Close Relative (c) chrisdt, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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