Trichaptum biforme

What You Should Know

Trichaptum biforme, one of the more common and widely distributed polypores, has been recorded from many different species of trees. The bright violet to purple color of the spore-bearing surface in fresh specimens of this fungus is a distinctive feature not shared with any other species likely to be encountered in NCR parks. Widely distributed throughout North America. A very colorful polypore when young.

This mushroom is neither edible nor medicinal but is nonetheless worth getting to know.

Other names: Violet-Toothed Polypore.

Trichaptum biforme Mushroom Identification

1. Ecology

   Saprobic; growing in overlapping clusters on hardwood logs and stumps; late spring, summer, and fall; found in all 50 of the United States and all the Canadian provinces; in eastern North America it is one of the most commonly encountered fungi. Trichaptum biforme is a voracious decomposer of deadwood. It causes a straw-colored sapwood rot in standing trees.

2. Cap

   Up to 6 cm across and 3 mm thick; more or less semicircular, irregularly bracket-shaped, or kidney-shaped; flattened-convex; hairy, finely hairy, or fairly smooth; with zones of whitish to grayish-white colors; the margin sometimes pale lilac.

3. Pore Surface

   Purple to lilac, with the strongest shades near the margin; fading to buff or brownish in age; with 3-5 angular pores per mm; usually eroding and developing spines or teeth with maturity (sometimes appearing more like a toothed mushroom than a polypore); not bruising.

4. Flesh: Whitish; tough and leathery.

5. Spore Print: White.

Sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Katja Schulz (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)

Photo 2 - Author: Copyright ©2012 the tnihekr (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)

Photo 3 - Author: Katja Schulz (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)

Photo 4 - Author: Jimmie Veitch (jimmiev) (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)

Photo 5 - Author: George Chernilevsky (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)