False Turkeytail

Stereum ostrea (Blume & T.Nees) Fr.

Also called: False Turkey-Tail, golden curtain crust

Safety first

Many edible mushrooms have toxic lookalikes, and some of those can be fatal. Have any mushroom identified in person by a local expert before you eat it.

If someone may have eaten a wild mushroom, call US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911 right away. In Canada, call your provincial poison centre or 911.

Edibility

Inedible Source: Wikipedia: Stereum ostrea

Classification from Wikipedia: Stereum ostrea. Sources can be wrong or incomplete, and people react differently.

Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app.

Photos

Lookalikes

No lookalikes are recorded for this species yet. That does not mean there are none. Many mushrooms look alike, so never rely on appearance alone.

Season

When this species has been recorded, by month, from open-licensed US and Canada observations. It shows when people report it, not a guarantee it is fruiting.

The highlighted bar is the current month.

View season data as a table
Recorded observations of False Turkeytail by month
MonthRecords
January103
February105
March173
April155
May192
June292
July380
August508
September535
October546
November285
December141

Where it is found

States and provinces with the most records. Check the foraging rules for the place you plan to visit.

Show 45 more
  • Wisconsin84 records
  • New Jersey80 records
  • West Virginia78 records
  • Washington70 records
  • Tennessee65 records
  • Iowa59 records
  • California59 records
  • Alabama49 records
  • Vermont48 records
  • Connecticut45 records
  • South Carolina44 records
  • Michigan44 records
  • Kansas43 records
  • Mississippi41 records
  • British Columbia40 records
  • Massachusetts37 records
  • Kentucky35 records
  • Minnesota35 records
  • Idaho30 records
  • New Hampshire30 records
  • District of Columbia29 records
  • Maine23 records
  • Oklahoma21 records
  • Arkansas20 records
  • Nova Scotia19 records
  • Oregon19 records
  • South Dakota14 records
  • Montana12 records
  • Delaware11 records
  • Manitoba11 records
  • Colorado9 records
  • Alberta8 records
  • Arizona6 records
  • New Mexico6 records
  • Nebraska5 records
  • Saskatchewan4 records
  • Alaska3 records
  • New Brunswick3 records
  • Rhode Island3 records
  • Hawaii2 records
  • North Dakota2 records
  • Utah2 records
  • Northwest Territories1 records
  • Prince Edward Island1 records
  • Yukon1 records

All state and province foraging laws

Identification traits

Cap shapeoffset
Underside (gills, pores or teeth)smooth
Ecologysaprotrophic
Spore print colorwhite

Traits vary. Use them to ask better questions of an expert, not to make a final call.

About

Stereum ostrea, also called false turkey-tail and golden curtain crust, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Stereum. It is a plant pathogen and a wood decay fungus. The name ostrea, from the word 'oyster', describes its shape. With concentric circles of many colors, it highly resembles Trametes versicolor, turkey-tail, and is thus called the 'false turkey-tail'. The stemless fruiting body is shell-like and grows 1–7 cm (0.39–2.76 in) high. It is tough and inedible. It grows on tree bark. This fungus is native to the island of Java, Indonesia and has been misapplied to the North American Stereum species Stereum fasciatum, Stereum lobatum, and Stereum subtomentosum.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the original article.

More in the genus Stereum

Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app. See safety basics and the disclaimer.