Trametes versicolor
| Trametes versicolor | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Polyporales |
| Family: | Polyporaceae |
| Genus: | Trametes |
| Species: | T. versicolor
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| Binomial name | |
| Trametes versicolor | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Boletus versicolor L. (1753) | |
Trametes versicolor | |
|---|---|
 | Pores on hymenium |
 | Cap is offset or indistinct |
 | Hymenium is decurrent |
 | Lacks a stipe |
 | Spore print is white to yellow |
 | Ecology is saprotrophic |
 | Edibility is too hard to eat |
Trametes versicolor – also known as Coriolus versicolor and Polyporus versicolor – is a common polypore mushroom found throughout the world. Owing to its shape being similar to that of a wild turkey's tail feathers, T. versicolor is most commonly referred to as turkey tail.[1]
Although polysaccharide-K, an extract of T. versicolor, is approved in Japan as an adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment,[2] it is not approved in the United States for treatment of cancer or any clinical condition.[3] Extracts of turkey tail or the mushroom itself are commonly marketed as a dietary supplement for various health benefits, but there is no good scientific evidence for safety or effectiveness, and quality can vary due to inconsistent processing and labeling.[4]
Etymology
[edit]Meaning 'of several colors', versicolor accurately describes this fungus that displays a unique blend of markings.
Description
[edit]The fruiting body is somewhat tongue-shaped, with no discernable stalk, and the tough flesh is 1–3 millimetres (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) thick. The cap is flat, up to 10 centimetres (4 in) across.[5] It is often triangular or round, with zones of fine hairs coloured rust-brown or darker brown, sometimes with black zones.[5] Underneath a layer of tomentum is a black layer, topping the whitish flesh.[6] Older specimens can have zones with green algae growing on them.[5]
The bottom surface of the cap shows typical concentric zones of different colors, with the margin always the lightest.[7] There are 3–5 pores per mm. They are whitish to light brown,[5] with pores round and with age twisted and labyrinthine.
Similar species
[edit]One similar-looking mushroom is Stereum ostrea (false turkey tail).[7]
Other similar species include Trametes betulina,[7] T. hirsuta,[8] T. ochracea,[6] T. suaveolens, Bjerkandera adusta,[8] Cerrena unicolor,[6] Lenzites betulina, and Stereum hirsutum.[8] Other species of Stereum are similar, typically with a smooth undersurface, as well as some species of Trichaptum.[6]
Ecology
[edit]T. versicolor commonly grows in tiled layers in groups or rows on logs and stumps of deciduous trees.[7] It is a white rot fungus which degrades lignin from lignocellulosic materials, such as wood.[9]
The species may be eaten by caterpillars of the fungus moth Nemaxera betulinella, maggots of the Platypezid fly Polyporivora picta,[10] and the fungus gnat Mycetophila luctuosa.[11]
Uses
[edit]Trametes versicolor is considered too tough to eat,[5] but can be prepared in many ways, such as teas and powders. It has been most notably consumed in China for thousands of years under the name "Yunzhi" (Chinese: 云芝).[8][12][13][14]
The species may be used in traditional Chinese medicine or other herbalism practices.[3][15]
Although polysaccharide-K is approved in Japan as an adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment,[2] neither the extract nor the mushroom preparation is approved or used in the United States for any clinical condition.[3]
It is commonly marketed as a dietary supplement for various health benefits but lacks sufficient scientific evidence for safety or effectiveness, and quality can vary due to inconsistent processing and labeling.[2][4]
Gallery
[edit]-
T. versicolor covering a stump -
Close up of T. versicolor. -
Color variation of T. versicolor on the same tree stump -
Pale specimens -
Brown variety -
Pale and brown varieties side by side -
Brown variety in higher magnification -
T. versicolor, pale variety
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Sisson, Liv; Vigus, Paula (2023). Fungi of Aotearoa: a curious forager's field guide. Auckland, New Zealand: Penguin Books. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-76104-787-9. OCLC 1372569849.
- ^ a b c "Turkey Tail Uses, Benefits & Dosage". Drugs.com. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ)". Physician Data Query (PDQ), US National Cancer Institute. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Mushrooms in dietary supplements". Operation Supplement Safety. Consortium for Health and Military Performance. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. p. 594. ISBN 978-0-89815-170-1.
- ^ a b c d Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
- ^ a b c d "Turkey Tail". MDC Discover Nature. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.
- ^ S., Pointing (1 October 2001). "Feasibility of bioremediation by white-rot fungi". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 57 (1–2): 20–33. doi:10.1007/s002530100745. ISSN 0175-7598. PMID 11693920. S2CID 33607687.
- ^ Chandler, Peter J. (2001), The Flat-footed flies (Opetiidae and Platypezidae) of Europe, Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, vol. 36, Leiden: Brill, pp. 1–278, ISBN 90-04-12023-8
- ^ Jakovlev, Jevgeni (2011), "Fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaroidea) associated with dead wood and wood growing fungi: New rearing data from Finland and Russian Karelia and general analysis of known larval microhabitats in Europe", Entomologica Fennica, 22 (3), doi:10.33338/ef.4693
- ^ Meuninck, Jim (2017). Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms. Falcon Guides. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4930-2669-2.
- ^ "Trametes versicolor". midwestmycology.org. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ Chen, M.; Wang, C.; Fei, B.; Ma, X.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, S.; Huang, A. (2017). "Biological Degradation of Chinese Fir with Trametes Versicolor (L.) Lloyd". Materials. 10 (7): 834. Bibcode:2017Mate...10..834C. doi:10.3390/ma10070834. PMC 5551877. PMID 28773191.
- ^ Meuninck, Jim (2017). Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms. Falcon Guides. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4930-2669-2.
External links
[edit]
- Trametes versicolor at Mushroom-Collecting.com
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