#turkeytail

Fungus of the Day

Tuesday 18 April 2023

A section of a woodland garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Wisley, Surrey, has been set aside to celebrates fungi. Logs have been inoculated with the heartwood fungus Trametes versicolor (turkeytail) which is a small, tough, bracket fungus that grows in tiered layers on dead wood. Fungi belong to their own kingdom and get their nutrients and energy from organic matter, rather than photosynthesis used by plants.

Fungus photo source

I think anyway. It helps to know that we absolutely have not classified all fungi out there. I have photos I've posted to mycology forums and no one knows what they are. Photos are mine, unedited.

Turkeytail isn't so much "edible" (too tough) as consumable--the typical use is to steep it for a bitter but medicinal tisane as it's believed to boost the immune system (it's not poisonous, but use your judgment on that). They can also be put into soup, like bay leaves.

Turkeytail      Trametes versicolor

Turkeytail is a commonly sought after fungi.

Though it isn’t prized for cooking, it’s still foraged as tea, and many people believe turkeytail teas or extractions have various health benefits.

As mushrooming has become somewhat more popular recently, I’ll sometimes come across people interested in finding and identifying wild T versicolor for their own use.

Anyone interested would be happy to learn that this is one of the most easily encountered fungi, at least around where I live in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The colorful arrangements that make up the varying concentric zones on these little fan shaped fruiting bodies look like turkey tails.

The species name “versicolor” comes from the color variations to be found both in individual specimens and in various flushes in different environments.  

They can come in shades of peaches and cream, greens and grays, brown and tan, or even smoky blue.

They range in size from small and inconspicuous to large and spreading.

They may cluster in little spreads or sheet across entire logs.  They are saprobic, growing on dead wood.

Besides some of their look-a-likes, such as violet tooth or “false” turkeytail Stereum ostrea, T versicolor are probably the fungi I come across most often on my walks.

When you know their habitats, fruiting seasons, and key identifying features, they can be found in practically minutes.

They tend to grow with a bit of fuzz on them, making them somewhat velvety.  They are white on the undersides with true pores.  This should distinguish it from some of its look-a-likes.

I consider Turkeytail pretty safe for beginners, but you should always do your own research.  If you’re just starting out, take the time to get to know these fungi and their look-alikes.

Most fungi which resemble Turkeytail are non-toxic.  But you should still be sure of your own IDs if you plan on ingesting any wild fungi.

I won’t pretend to be very knowledgeable about their reported health benefits.  Certainly, natural diversity is good for any diet.  I drink turkeytail tea and prefer it to reishi because I think it tastes better.