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Edibility
Medicinal
Lookalike Danger
1 / 5
Habitat
🪵 Dead hardwood
Season
Year-round🌱 Now
"Tough as leather — not for eating. Simmered for tea. Studied for immune support in cancer research."
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.
Thin semicircular brackets with concentric bands of color — browns, tans, grays, sometimes blues and greens. Tough leather-like texture. Not eaten directly; brewed as tea or dried and powdered for capsules. Polysaccharide-K (PSK) is an approved adjuvant cancer therapy in Japan.
Dead hardwood logs and stumps worldwide. Year-round. One of the most common polypores in North American forests.
Min Soil Temp
55°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–6,684 ft
Not dangerous; also medicinal but less studied. Stereum has a smooth underside (no pores); Trametes has fine pores.
Also inedible. Purple gilled underside (not pored).
Dead hardwood
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.