Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Trametes
Species: T. versicolor
Binomial name: Trametes versicolor
Common name: Turkey-tail porebracket
Trametes versicolor is a wood-rotting polypore that grows on the side of felled oak logs and other dead or dying hardwoods. This fungus can be found throughout the world. Versicolor means 'of several colours and it is true that this mushroom is found in a wide variety of different colours. T. versicolor is commonly called Turkey Tail because of its resemblance to the tail of the wild turkey.
The top surface of the cap shows typical concentric zones of different colours. Flesh 1–3 mm thick, leathery texture. Cap with rust-brown or darker brown, sometimes blackish zones, Older specimens can have zones of green algae growing on them, thus appearing green. Commonly grows in tiled layers. Cap flat, up to 8 x 5 x 0.5-1 centimetres, often triangular or round, with zones of fine hairs. Pore surface is whitish to light brown, round pores and with age becomes twisted and labyrinthine. 2-5 pores per millimetre.
T. versicolor is recognized as a medicinal mushroom in Chinese medicine under the name yun zhi. In China and Japan, T. versicolor is used as in immunoadjuvant therapy for cancer.
Turkey-tail porebracket (Trametes versicolor)
The underside
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
