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Edibility
Inedible
Lookalike Danger
5 / 5
Habitat
🪵 Dead hardwood
Season
Year-round🌱 Now
"Looks like turkey tail but the underside is smooth — no pores. Ubiquitous. Not medicinal."
Mushroom ID is a rule-out game. Every entry below describes something that looks similar — learn the differences before eating.

True turkey tail has FINE PORES on the underside (need hand lens). False turkey tail (Stereum) has a SMOOTH underside — no pores at all. Both common on the same logs.
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.

Fallen logs, stumps, and dying hardwood — substrate for oyster, turkey-tail, dryad’s saddle, and most hardwood saprobes.

Generic hardwood habitat — oak, maple, beech, birch, etc. Shown when the species is reported from hardwoods generally.
Concentrically banded bracket resembling turkey tail but with a SMOOTH undersurface (no pores). Less studied than Trametes versicolor but likely shares some bioactive compounds.
Dead hardwood across temperate North America and Europe. Year-round.
Min Soil Temp
55°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–6,684 ft
Medicinal. Trametes has tiny round pores; Stereum is smooth underneath.
Dead hardwood
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.