Trametes versicolor

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"Turkey tail" redirects here. For the tail of a turkey, see Pygostyle.

Trametes versicolor
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Trametes
Species:
T. versicolor
Binomial name
Trametes versicolor
(L.) Lloyd (1920)
Synonyms

Boletus versicolor L. (1753)
Polyporus versicolor (L.) Fr. (1821)
Coriolus versicolor (L.) Quél. (1886)

Trametes versicolor
View the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following list
Pores on hymenium
Cap is offset or indistinct
Hymenium is decurrent
Lacks a stipe
Spore print is white to yellow
Ecology is saprotrophic
Edibility is too hard to eat

Trametes versicolor – also known as Coriolus versicolor and Polyporus versicolor – is a common polypore mushroom found throughout the world. Meaning 'of several colors', versicolor accurately describes this fungus that displays a unique blend of markings. Additionally, owing to its shape being similar to that of a wild turkey's tail feathers, T. versicolor is most commonly referred to as turkey tail.[1] A similar-looking mushroom commonly called "false turkey tail" is from a different order (Stereum), and thus may sometimes be confused with the 'true' turkey tail mushroom, T. versicolor. Another lookalike is the multicolor gill polypore, T. betulina.[2]

T. versicolor on rotting wood

It is commonly marketed as a dietary supplement for various health benefits but lacks sufficient scientific evidence for safety or effectiveness, and quality can vary due to inconsistent processing and labeling.[3]

Description and ecology

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The bottom surface of the cap shows typical concentric zones of different colors, and the margin is always the lightest.[2] Underneath a layer of tomentum is a black layer, topping the whitish flesh.[4] The flesh itself is 1–3 mm thick and has a leathery texture. Older specimens, such as the one pictured, can have zones with green algae growing on them, thus appearing green. It commonly grows in tiled layers in groups or rows on logs and stumps of deciduous trees.[2] The mushroom is stalkless and the cap is rust-brown or darker brown, sometimes with black zones. The cap is flat, up to 8 × 5 × 0.5–1 cm in area. It is often triangular or round, with zones of fine hairs. The pore surface is whitish to light brown, with pores round and with age twisted and labyrinthine. 3–8 pores per millimeter.

T. versicolor is a white-rot fungus which degrades lignin from lignocellulosic materials, such as wood.[5] It may be eaten by caterpillars of the fungus moth Nemaxera betulinella, maggots of the Platypezid fly Polyporivora picta,[6] and the fungus gnat Mycetophila luctuosa.[7] It is considered inedible due to its leathery texture, but can be prepared in many ways, such as teas, powders, etc., to allow for it to be consumed. Consuming Trametes versicolor has been most notably practiced in China for thousands of years under the name "Yunzhi" (Chinese: 云芝).[8][9][10][11][12]

Similar species

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Similar species include Trametes hirsuta,[9] T. ochracea,[4] T. suaveolens, Bjerkandera adusta,[9] Cerrena unicolor,[4] Lenzites betulina, and Stereum hirsutum.[9] Other species of Stereum are similar, typically with a smooth undersurface, as well as some species of Trichaptum.[4]

Uses

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Further information: Polysaccharide-K

Trametes versicolor may be used in traditional Chinese medicine or other herbalism practices.[13][14]

It is commonly marketed as a dietary supplement for various health benefits but lacks sufficient scientific evidence for safety or effectiveness, and quality can vary due to inconsistent processing and labeling.[3]

[edit]
  • T. versicolor covering a stump
    T. versicolor covering a stump
  • Close up of T. versicolor.
    Close up of T. versicolor.
  • Color variation of T. versicolor on the same tree stump
    Color variation of T. versicolor on the same tree stump
  • Pale specimens
    Pale specimens
  • Brown variety
    Brown variety
  • Pale and brown varieties side by side
    Pale and brown varieties side by side
  • Brown variety in higher magnification
    Brown variety in higher magnification
  • T. versicolor, pale variety
    T. versicolor, pale variety

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sisson, Liv; Vigus, Paula (2023). Fungi of Aotearoa: a curious forager's field guide. Auckland, New Zealand: Penguin Books. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-76104-787-9. OCLC 1372569849.
  2. ^ a b c "Turkey Tail". MDC Discover Nature. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Mushrooms in dietary supplements". Operation Supplement Safety. Consortium for Health and Military Performance. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
  5. ^ S., Pointing (1 October 2001). "Feasibility of bioremediation by white-rot fungi". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 57 (1–2): 20–33. doi:10.1007/s002530100745. ISSN 0175-7598. PMID 11693920. S2CID 33607687.
  6. ^ Chandler, Peter J. (2001), The Flat-footed flies (Opetiidae and Platypezidae) of Europe, Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, vol. 36, Leiden: Brill, pp. 1–278, ISBN 90-04-12023-8
  7. ^ Jakovlev, Jevgeni (2011), "Fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaroidea) associated with dead wood and wood growing fungi: New rearing data from Finland and Russian Karelia and general analysis of known larval microhabitats in Europe", Entomologica Fennica, 22 (3), doi:10.33338/ef.4693
  8. ^ Meuninck, Jim (2017). Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms. Falcon Guides. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4930-2669-2.
  9. ^ a b c d Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.
  10. ^ "Trametes versicolor". midwestmycology.org. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version". cancer.gov. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  12. ^ Chen, M.; Wang, C.; Fei, B.; Ma, X.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, S.; Huang, A. (2017). "iological Degradation of Chinese Fir with Trametes Versicolor (L.) Lloyd". Materials. 10 (7): 834. Bibcode:2017Mate...10..834C. doi:10.3390/ma10070834. PMC 5551877. PMID 28773191.
  13. ^ "Turkey tail and polysaccharide-K. In: Medicinal Mushrooms". National Cancer Institute, US National Institutes of Health. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  14. ^ Meuninck, Jim (2017). Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms. Falcon Guides. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4930-2669-2.


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