Species · GBIF taxon 2548311
Trametes versicolor
trametes versicolorAlso known as Turkey Tail, Many-Zoned Polypore, Coriolus, Yun Zhi
Turkey tail mushrooms grow in overlapping, shelf-like brackets on decaying hardwood logs and stumps, displaying concentric bands of striking colors that resemble a strutting turkey's tail. These tough, leathery polypores play a vital ecological role by decomposing lignin and cellulose, returning essential nutrients to the forest floor. They can be found year-round in temperate forests worldwide, persisting through winter even after releasing their spores.
DecomposerWoodlandBracket Fungus
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Dead Hardwood
- Lignin
- Cellulose
Predators
- Fungus Gnats
- Beetles
- Slugs
ThreatsHabitat loss and intensive forestry that removes deadwood
HabitatsDeciduous forests, woodlands, and parks on fallen logs or stumps
Life spanPerennial brackets (individual fruiting bodies persist for months to a year)
Size / weightNot available
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 edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Check the underside: Look for a white to light-cream pore surface with tiny, barely visible pores to distinguish it from false turkey tail.
- Feel the texture: Gently touch the cap to feel the fine, velvety hairs that cover the top surface.
- Observe the zones: Note the distinct, multicolored concentric rings which can range from brown and grey to blue and orange.
Look-Alike (c) Christine Young, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christine Young · cc-by
Frequent Companion (c) Erlon Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Erlon Bailey · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) mycowalt, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by mycowalt · cc-by-sa
Close Relative
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