Trametes versicolor

Description

Trametes versicolor is a common mushroom found in North American woods on dead hardwood logs and stumps. Its cap colors vary but are usually buff, brown, cinnamon, or reddish brown. The cap has contrasting concentric zones with different colors and textures, including fuzzy and smooth areas.

In addition to its ornamental appearance, Trametes versicolor is also used for medicinal purposes. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties, and is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various health conditions, including digestive disorders, respiratory problems, and cancer.

Trametes versicolor is also of great interest to the scientific community, as it produces a variety of bioactive compounds that have potential applications in fields such as agriculture, pharmacology, and biotechnology. Overall, Trametes versicolor is a fascinating and useful species that continues to be the subject of ongoing research and study.

Common names: Turkey Tail, German (Schmetterlingstramete), Netherlands (Gewoon elfenbankje).

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   0.79 to 3.15 inches (2 to 8 cm) across; 0.79 to 1.57 inches (2 to 4 cm) deep; plano-convex to flat; in outline circular, semicircular, fan-shaped, bracket-shaped, or kidney-shaped; often fused with other caps; flexible when fresh; densely hairy or velvety, often with alternating zones of texture; with concentric zones of white, gray, brown, cinnamon, orangish, and reddish-brown (but highly variable in color and sometimes with other shades, including blue, green, and orange).

2. Pore Surface

   Whitish to pale brownish; not bruising; with 3–6 or more tiny pores per mm; tubes up to 1.5 mm deep.

3. Flesh

   Insubstantial; whitish, except for a very thin black line (in cross-section) separating the cap surface from the flesh; tough and leathery.

4. Spore Print

   White.

5. Habitat

   Saprobic on the deadwood of hardwoods, or rarely on the wood of conifers; annual; causing a white rot of the sapwood; growing in dense, overlapping clusters or rosettes on logs and stumps; year-round; very widely distributed and common in North America.

6. Chemical Reactions

   KOH negative to yellowish or yellow on flesh.

Look-Alikes

1. Stereum ostrea

   This False Turkey Tail species has a similar concentric banding pattern, but is usually less colorful and has a smooth surface.

2. Stereum subtomentosum

   Very similar, but is usually less colorful and has a smooth surface.

3. Ganoderma applanatum

   This species has a similar fan-like shape, but is larger and has a smooth surface with a distinctive "foot".

4. Phaeolus schweinitzii

   This species is similar in shape and has a concentric banding pattern, but is usually larger and has a distinctive stem.

11 Facts About Turkey Tail Mushroom

1. The Latin name is Trametes versicolor, which means thin (trametes) and many-colored (versicolor). In Chinese medicine it is referred to as yun zhi, and the Japanese name is kawaratake.

2. The turkey tail is a polypore mushroom, meaning they release spores through many small holes underneath their caps. Many medicinal mushrooms are polypores.

3. Like so many polypores, these mushrooms are also bracket fungi. They produce fruiting bodies that are shaped like shelves or brackets. These brackets are grouped closely together either horizontally or one on top of another.

4. They are saprotrophs, which means they feed on the decaying matter of other living things. This is why you always find them on old, rotting logs.

5. To spot a turkey tail, it's best to look down. You'll usually find them on decaying hardwood or at the base of trees.

6. For other identifying characteristics, know that they have no stem, groups of thin caps with concentric zones of varying colors, and a spore print that ranges from whitish to yellowish.

7. One of the most vivid colors that you'll find on these mushrooms is bright green. However, this green is usually a ring of green algae rather than an actual color of the mushroom. (I prefer the purple ones myself!)

8. You probably don't need to go far to find one of these multi-colored mushrooms. They're found in forests all over the world from Europe to Asia to the US and Russia.

9. Many people think that the Coriolus Versicolor mushroom is a different species. It's not! Coriolus Versicolor is just another name for the same turkey tail.

10. Turkey tails are edible, but as they're also very tough and leathery, most people consume them by making a tea.

11. This is a mushroom for all seasons! They're common from spring until fall, and you can sometimes even find them in the winter.

Health Benefits

1. Reduce inflammation throughout the body

2. Fight viral infections and diseases such as herpes and hepatitis

3. Reduce the growth of tumors and prevent new ones

4. Lessen the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation

5. Increase stamina and energy

6. Anti-cancer

7. Anti-AIDS

Side Effects

For most healthy adults, it is well-tolerated. Some people who are receiving chemotherapy and a substance extracted from turkey tail mushroom called polysaccharide krestin (PSK) have reported nausea, vomiting, low white blood cell counts, and liver problems.

Also, some people experience stomach upsets, like gas, diarrhea, and bloating. The most dangerous thing about taking non-toxic mushrooms of any kind is if you have a mushroom allergy.

Turkey Tail Mushroom Safety for Dogs

Turkey tail mushrooms are safe and beneficial for canines and a great addition to your dog's daily supplements. Turkey tails contain beta-glucans. These helpful fungi are abundant in compounds that can help keep your furry friend’s immune system strong.

History

The species Trametes versicolor was originally named Boletus versicolor by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and was renamed by Czech mycologist Albert Pilát in 1939. The genus name Trametes means thin and the specific epithet versicolor means of several colors, describing the variability and presence of color bands on the upper surface of a single fruitbody.

Synonyms and Varieties

• Boletus versicolor Linnaeus (1753), Species plantarum exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, 2, p. 1176 (Basionyme) Sanctionnement : Fries (1821)

• Hydnum tomentosum Oeder (1770), Flora danica, 9, p. 7, tab. 534, fig. 3

• Poria versicolor (Linnaeus) Scopoli (1772), Dissertationes ad scientiam naturalem pertinentes, 1, Plantae subterraneae distributio, p. 105, tab. 25

• Boletus imbricatus Scopoli (1772), Flora carniolica, Edn 2, 2, p. 468

• Boletus atrorufus Schaeffer (1774), Fungorum qui in Bavaria et Palatinatu circa Ratisbonam, 4, p. 91, tab. 268

• Boletus suberosus Batsch (1783), Elenchus fungorum, p. 107

• Agaricus versicolor (Linnaeus) Lamarck (1783), Encyclopédie méthodique, Botanique, 1, p. 50

• Boletus plicatus Schumacher (1803), Enumeratio plantarum in partibus Saellandiae septentrionalis et orientalis, 2, p. 389

• Sistotrema versicolor (Linnaeus) Trattinnick (1805), Fungi austriaci, 1, p. 55, tab. 5, fig. 10

• Polyporus fuscatus Fries (1818), Observationes mycologicae praecipue ad illustrandam floram suecicam, 2, p. 259

• Polyporus versicolor var. ß fuscatus (Fries) Fries (1821), Systema mycologicum, 1, p. 369

• Polyporus versicolor (Linnaeus) Fries (1821), Systema mycologicum, 1, p. 368

• Polyporus humboldtii Persoon (1825), Mycologia europaea, seu complet omnium fungorum in variis europaeae regionibus detectorum enumeratio, 2, p. 120

• Polyporus hirsutulus Schweinitz (1832), Transactions of the American philosophical Society, series 2, 4(2), p. 156

• Pleuropus versicolor (Linnaeus) Zawadzki (1835), Enumeratio plantarum Galiciae & Bucowinae, p. 171, n° 2764

• Polyporus versicolor subsp.* fuscatus (Fries) Fries (1838) [1836-38], Epicrisis systematis mycologici, p. 479

• Polystictus versicolor (Linnaeus) Fries (1851), Novae symbolae mycologicae. Fasciulus primus, sistens fungos in peregrinis terris a botanicis danicis nuper collectos, p. 70

• Polyporus nigricans Lasch (1859), in Rabenhorst, Fungi europaei exsiccati, Klotzschii herbarii vivi mycologici continuatio, Edn 2, serie 2, n° 15

• Polyporus versicolor var. nigricans Fries (1874), Hymenomycetes europaei sive epicriseos systematis mycologici, p. 568

• Hansenia versicolor (Linnaeus) P. Karsten (1879), Meddelanden af societas pro fauna et flora fennica, 5, p. 40

• Bjerkandera versicolor (Linnaeus) P. Karsten (1881), Acta societatis pro fauna et flora fennica, 2(1), p. 30

• Bjerkandera versicolor subsp.* fuscata (Fries) P. Karsten (1882), Bidrag till kännedom af Finlands natur och folk, 37, p. 43

• Polyporus caesioglaucus Cooke (1882), Grevillea, 10(56), p. 121

• Polystictus nigricans (Lasch) Cooke (1886), Grevillea, 14(71), p. 83

• Coriolus versicolor (Linnaeus) Quélet (1886), Enchiridion fungorum in Europa media et praesertim in Gallia vigentium, p. 175

• Polystictus fuscatus (Fries) Cooke (1886), Grevillea, 14(71), p. 83

• Polystictus hirsutulus (Schweinitz) Cooke (1886), Grevillea, 14(71), p. 83

• Polystictus caesioglaucus (Cooke) Cooke (1886), Grevillea, 14(71), p. 83

• Polystictus proditor Spegazzini (1889), Boletín de la Academia nacional de ciencias en Córdoba, 11(4), p. 443

• Polystictus versicolor f. nigricans (Lasch) Gillot & Lucand (1890), Société d'histoire naturelle d'Autun, Bulletin, 3, p. 171

• Polystictus versicolor f. sorediata Gillot & Lucand (1890), Société d'histoire naturelle d'Autun, Bulletin, 3, p. 171

• Polystictus versicolor f. monstrosa Gillot & Lucand (1890), Société d'histoire naturelle d'Autun, Bulletin, 3, p. 171

• Polystictus versicolor var. fuscatus (Fries) Massee (1892), British fungus flora, 1, p. 212

• Microporus caesioglaucus (Cooke) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 495

• Microporus fuscatus (Fries) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 496

• Microporus versicolor (Linnaeus) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 497

• Microporus proditor (Spegazzini) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 497

• Microporus hirsutulus (Schweinitz) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 496

• Microporus nigricans (Lasch) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 496

• Coriolus hirsutulus (Schweinitz) Murrill (1906) [1905], Bulletin of the Torrey botanical Club, 32(12), p. 643

• Polystictus macuonii Lloyd (1914), Mycological writings, 4, letter n° 53, p. 9

• Polystictus versicolor var. nigricans (Fries) Saccardo (1916), Flora italica cryptogama. Pars 1: Fungi. Hymeniales, 1(15), p. 1020

• Polystictus conglomerus Lloyd (1917), Mycological writings, 5, mycological notes n° 50, p. 706, fig. 1056

• Polystictus aequus Lloyd (1920), Mycological writings, 6, mycological notes n° 62, p. 933

• Polyporus reisneri Velenovský (1922), Ceské houby, 4-5, p. 654

• Polyporus rohlenae Velenovský (1922), Ceské houby, 4-5, p. 655

• Polyporus picicola Velenovský (1922), Ceské houby, 4-5, p. 655

• Polyporus irpiciformis Velenovský (1922), Ceské houby, 4-5, p. 655

• Polyporus vitellinus Velenovský (1922), Ceské houby, 4-5, p. 652

• Polystictus minutoporus Lloyd (1924), Mycological writings, 7, mycological notes n° 73, p. 1317

• Polystictus doidgei Lloyd (1924), Mycological writings, 7, mycological notes n° 73, p. 1329

• Trametes versicolor f. vitellinus Pilát (1939), Atlas des champignons de l'Europe, 3, Polyporaceae, p. 282

• Trametes unicolor f. rohlenae (Velenovský) Pilát (1939), Atlas des champignons de l'Europe, 3, Polyporaceae, p. 281

• Trametes hirsuta f. reisneri (Velenovský) Pilát (1939), Atlas des champignons de l'Europe, 3, Polyporaceae, p. 267

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