Trametes versicolor Turkeytail

 February: not a time one thinks of looking for fungus but this common wood-rotting species is to be found throughout the year, on deciduous wood in parks, gardens, heathland & woods. Mainly on dead wood of broad-leaved trees, occasionally on conifer, in small or large overlapping groups. Occasionally it parasitizes living trees. The fruit body can be up to 80mm across & can add some

  

                              

 surprising colour to a winter walk. Each small semi-circular to kidney shaped poroid bracket is broadly attached or joined to the substrate by a “pseudo stem”. The upper surface is finely downy (resembling velvet), it is to be found in a very large variety of concentrically zoned colours. The margin is sharp, distinct, slightly wavy and on occasion crenelated. The pore surface is cream becoming buff with age. The pores are fine, round too angular with 3 to 5 pores per mm.

                                                                                                                                       

  The spore print varies from white to pale yellow.

The spores are narrow cylindrical to sausage shaped, smooth, translucent, and offer no reaction to iodine.