Fungus · GBIF taxon 2553044
Stereum ostrea
stereum ostreaAlso known as False Turkey Tail, Golden Curtain Crust
Fan-shaped, multicolored brackets grow in dense, overlapping tiers along fallen hardwood logs and dead branches. Upper surfaces feature velvety concentric zones of orange, reddish-brown, and buff hues, while the smooth underside lacks the tiny pores characteristic of true polypores. These resilient fungi break down tough wood compounds, playing a vital role in recycling forest nutrients.
Bracket FungusDecomposerHardwood Saprobe
1 / 7—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 Beetles
- Slugs
- Fungal Mites
ThreatsSevere deforestation and habitat loss
HabitatsDeciduous forests and woodlands
Life spanPersistent fruiting bodies lasting months
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderRussulales
- FamilyStereaceae
- GenusStereum
- Speciesstereum ostrea
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
- Underside check: Turn over the bracket to confirm a smooth poreless underside.
- Habitat searching: Look on fallen oak and beech logs in damp, shaded forest corridors.
Look-alike Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative 
Close Relative (c) Christine Young, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christine Young · cc-by
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