Fungus · GBIF taxon 5247228
violet-toothed polypore
Trichaptum biformeAlso known as Violet-pored Bracket, Purple Tooth
Violet-toothed polypore grows in overlapping fan-shaped brackets on decaying hardwood logs and stumps throughout temperate forests. Fresh fruiting bodies display a vivid violet or lilac margin along their tooth-like pore undersides, fading to tan as they age. As a saprotrophic white-rot fungus, it breaks down tough lignin and cellulose, recycling essential nutrients back into forest soils.
SaprotrophicBracketsFungus
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Lignin
- Cellulose
- Dead Wood
Predators
- Fungus Beetles
- Slugs
- Nematodes
ThreatsClear-cutting and intensive forest management
HabitatsDeciduous and mixed forests
Life span1 to 2 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderHymenochaetales
- FamilyPolyporaceae
- GenusTrichaptum
- SpeciesTrichaptum biforme
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 closely at the underside to see the characteristic violet tint and jagged, tooth-like pores.
- Inspect the host wood: Note whether the shelf caps are growing on oak, maple, or birch logs.
- Leave on the log: Allow fruiting bodies to remain intact so they can continue decomposing wood.
Ecological Competitor Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Look-Alike 
Wood Decomposer (c) Richard Jacob, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Richard Jacob · cc-by
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