Trametes versicolor, turkey tail

Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor a bracket fungus species) is a species of fungus that closely resembles a turkey tail. It forms stacked terraces with a wavy white growth edge. Within this edge, areas are having a variety of colors such as white, black, beige, fir, gray, brown, and blue. That is why it is named ‘versicolor’. The terraces have a size of up to 8 centimeters and are only a few millimeters thick. As a polypore, turkeys tail holds its spores in white or yellowish tubes, so its underside displays tiny holes visible to the naked eye. The spores are white to pale yellow. The mushroom meat is tough and not edible. The fungus causes white rot in wood, breaking down either the lignin or cellulose.

Fig 1. Turkey tail top 

Fig 2. Turkey tail underside

Turkey tails are possibly the most common mushroom you will find. Their uses are mainly medicinal and decorative. They can have great beauty. They dry easily to become leathery tough. The material used for the microscopic image has been stained for better visibility.

Fig 3. Trametes versicolor c.s. analyzed with a SWIFT 3-B, 10X objective microscope and a Moticam 5

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