Emma Wilson
Turkey tail mushrooms are a type of polypore mushroom that can be found worldwide. They are known for their medicinal qualities and have been used for thousands of years in Asia and by indigenous populations. With their ease of cultivation and foraging, these mushrooms offer a holistic approach to health and wellness. They are not poisonous and have no known poisonous look-alikes, making them safe to consume. While they are not typically eaten due to their tough and woody texture, they can be dried and ground into a powder or used to make tea or tinctures. Growing turkey tail mushrooms at home is a simple process that requires a few supplies and patience. They can be grown outdoors on logs or stumps, or even indoors with a mushroom kit.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common name | Turkey Tail |
| Scientific name | Coriolus versicolor |
| Other names | Yun Zhi (China), Kawaratake (Japan), Cloud Fungi (China), Trametes versicolor, Trametes veriscolor |
| Appearance | Multi-coloured, stripes, fuzzy, velvety, finely hairy, leather texture, rings of different shades of black, brown, white, and cream |
| Underside | White/light brown, porous |
| Growth | On dead trees, logs, and decomposing wood |
| Medicinal compounds | Polysaccharopeptide (PSP), Polysaccharide-K (PSK), Polysaccharide krestin, beta-glucans |
| Health benefits | May support cancer treatment, boost immune system, restore balance of gut bacteria, improve gut health, antiviral properties |
| Side effects | Nausea, vomiting, low white blood cell count, liver problems, itching, irritation |
| Precautions | Consult a doctor before use, only purchase purified versions from reputable sources, avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding |
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What You'll Learn
Turkey tail mushrooms grow on dead trees and logs
Turkey tail mushrooms are a type of fungus that grows on dead trees and logs. They are commonly found in forests across the northern hemisphere, particularly on deciduous trees. With a striking resemblance to the multicoloured feathers of a wild turkey's tail, these mushrooms are relatively small and thin, ranging from 1 to 3 inches in width and 1 to 4 mm in thickness. They are flexible and have a leathery texture, with a white to light grey underside covered in small, dense pores that darken with age. Each pore contains spores that the fungus releases for reproduction.
Turkey tail mushrooms are known for their medicinal properties and have been used for centuries in traditional herbal medicine in China, Japan, and among Native American tribes. Modern research has also highlighted their potential health benefits, including immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and gut-health-promoting properties. They are also being studied for their role in supporting cancer treatments.
These mushrooms are saprophytes, meaning they feed on dead and decaying organic matter. Specifically, they are white rot fungi that break down the lignin in plant cell walls, contributing to healthy forests by recycling nutrients back into the soil. Turkey tail mushrooms can be identified by their thin, flexible structure, their multicoloured concentric bands, and their white to light grey underside with tiny pores.
While turkey tail mushrooms can be found in the wild, they can also be cultivated outdoors using the standard drill and fill method of log cultivation or indoors using supplemented sawdust blocks. Identification of these mushrooms is important as there are several "false turkey tail" mushrooms that resemble the real thing. However, one key difference is that the underside of true turkey tail mushrooms has visible pores, while some imposters like Stereum ostrea have a smooth underside.
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They are multicoloured and shaped like turkey tails
Turkey tail mushrooms are easily identifiable due to their multicoloured appearance and turkey tail shape. They grow in clusters of leathery, thin brackets with multicoloured zones above and whitish (to whitish-yellow) pores below. They are often found on dead trees and logs in the wild, particularly on deciduous trees.
The cap of the mushroom is semicircular to spoon-shaped, sometimes flat, and can be up to 10 centimetres (4 inches) across. The cap is colourful, with concentric bands of different shades, and can include zones of black, green, grey-blue, grey-brown, ochre-rust, and white. The underside of the cap is always the lightest colour. The cap should feel fuzzy, velvety, or finely hairy to the touch.
Turkey tail mushrooms can be distinguished from similar-looking mushrooms by their pores and colour. False turkey tail mushrooms, such as Stereum ostrea, do not have pores on their underside and may have algae growth. The margin of the cap of Trichaptum biforme tends to be purple to lilac in tone, whereas turkey tail mushrooms almost always have a vibrant white margin.
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The underside of the mushroom has tiny white pores
Turkey tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) are a vibrant polypore fungus with a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. They are one of the most commonly found mushrooms in North America and can be found in hardwood forests from May to December. They grow in rosettes or shelves on fallen hardwood logs or stumps and are easily identifiable by their distinct bands of varying colours and small hairs on the top side, and tiny pores on the underside.
The underside of the turkey tail mushroom is white or light brown with tiny pores. These pores are used to release spores for reproduction. Each pore contains spores that the fungus releases, and this is how the mushroom spreads. The underside of the mushroom is also how you can distinguish a true turkey tail mushroom from a false one. False turkey tails, or Stereum ostrea, have a smooth, non-porous underside that is usually beige in colour.
The turkey tail mushroom gets its name from the variety of colours and shapes that resemble the tail feathers of wild turkeys. The top side of the mushroom has concentric zones of varying colours, including black, brown, white, and cream, with the growing margin always being the lightest colour. The underside of the mushroom, however, is always whitish or light brown with tiny pores.
Turkey tail mushrooms are common across the northern hemisphere and can be found growing on a variety of tree species. They are fairly easy to find in your local woodlot, park, or forest from mid-summer through fall. They grow in tiered layers of overlapping clusters, and the entire mushroom is only a few millimetres thick at most.
If you're looking for turkey tail mushrooms, remember to inspect the underside of the mushroom to look for the tiny white pores. This is a key identifying feature that sets it apart from its look-alikes.
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The cap of the mushroom is fuzzy, velvety or finely hairy
Turkey tail mushrooms, or Trametes versicolor, are one of the most commonly found mushrooms in North America. They are also known as Yun Zhi in China and kawaratake in Japan. These mushrooms are multicoloured and grow on dead trees, logs, stumps, and branches of deciduous trees, especially oaks. They can be found in forests between May and December, but their fruiting bodies can remain on trees throughout the year.
The cap of the mushroom is fuzzy, velvety, or finely hairy. The cap colours vary from tan to orange-brown, pinkish, or cinnamon, with distinct concentric zones of colour and texture. The edges of young crusts may be fringed with tiny eyelash-like hairs. The cap should be colourful, not greyish or whitish. The texture of the cap is leathery and may appear hairy, especially when young. The caps are 1 to 4 inches wide, stem-less, and fan-shaped.
The key to identifying a true turkey tail mushroom lies beneath it. When flipped over, the underside of the mushroom should be whitish in colour with tiny, uniform pores present. False turkey tails have a smooth, non-porous underside, usually beige in colour.
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They are known as Yun Zhi in China and kawaratake in Japan
Turkey tail mushrooms are multicolored fungi that grow on tree trunks. They are known as Yun Zhi in China and kawaratake in Japan. They have been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries.
Yun Zhi, or cloud mushroom, has a brownish cap with a velvety surface and a distinctive pattern of wavy bands of dark and light colour. In traditional Chinese medicine, herbalists harvest the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms, which are then dried, ground into a powder, and made into tea. This tea is believed to "dispel dampness and reduce phlegm", treat respiratory tract infections, and support liver health.
Kawaratake, or mushroom by the river, is used in Japan by many health practitioners to treat a variety of conditions. In Japan, polysaccharide-K (PSK) derived from turkey tail mushrooms is an approved adjuvant cancer treatment. PSK may help reduce the side effects of oral chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.
Turkey tail mushrooms have been studied for their potential health benefits, including immune-boosting and prebiotic properties. They may support cancer treatment and restore the balance of gut bacteria. They contain compounds such as polysaccharopeptide (PSP) and PSK, which may stimulate the immune system and exhibit antitumor effects. While turkey tail mushrooms have been used as complementary treatments for cancer, it is important to consult a doctor and only use purified products from reputable sources.
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Frequently asked questions
Turkey tail mushrooms are multicolored fungi that grow on dead trees, stumps, and logs. They have a leather-like texture and concentric bands of different shades on the topside, which is fuzzy, velvety, or finely hairy. The underside has tiny pores and is white or light brown in colour.
While foraging for turkey tail mushrooms, you may come across "false turkey tail mushrooms" like Stereum ostrea, Stereum hirsutum, and Trichaptum abietinum. False turkey tails often have algae growing on them, while true turkey tails do not. Additionally, false turkey tails tend to curve upward at the edges, whereas true turkey tails have a more planar growth.
Turkey tail mushrooms are found abundantly in various parts of the world, including North America, where they are among the most prolific mushrooms. They grow on dead wood, particularly on tree trunks and logs, and are important decomposers in forest environments.
Turkey tail mushrooms have been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries. They are known for their potential immune-boosting and prebiotic properties and are used as a complementary treatment for cancer. Turkey tail mushrooms may also promote healthy gut bacteria and have antibacterial and antiviral properties.
