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    Turkey tail

    Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd · Polyporaceae

    Inedible

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Turkey tail
    Photo: AnRo0002 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The turkey tail forms thin, colourfully zoned brackets in overlapping groups on dead broadleaved wood. It is one of the most common polypores and can be found all year.

    Seasonyear-round
    Spore printwhite
    FamilyPolyporaceae
    1. Cap. The caps are 3 to 8 cm wide, thin, semicircular and velvety, with concentric zones in browns, grey, blue or black and silky, shiny zones.
    2. Underside. The underside is whitish to cream and has fine, round pores.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. There is no stem; the caps sit sideways on the wood.
    4. Smell and taste. It has an unremarkable smell.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is thin, white, tough and leathery.

    Lookalikes

    Not an edible mushroom; the fruiting bodies are tough and leathery.

    Habitat & Season

    Stumps, fallen trunks and branches. From the lowlands up to the hills and mountains.

    Host trees

    Dead broadleaved wood, mainly European beech, also oak, birch, hazel, rarely conifer wood.

    Season

    possible good main season

    All year; fresh fruiting bodies mainly from late May to August.

    Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

    There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

    All mushroom regions →

    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Not an edible mushroom: do not collect it for the kitchen.

    Advice for your country

    United Kingdom

    Poison centre:

    NHS 111 (England)111

    Emergency: 999 · 112

    Ireland

    Poison centre:

    National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

    Emergency: 112 · 999

    Germany

    Poison centre:

    Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

    Emergency: 112

    Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

    Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

    Austria

    Poison centre:

    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

    Emergency: 112 · 144

    Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

    Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

    Conservation and collecting rules

    Not specially protected.

    No species-specific rule known.

    Red List Germany: Least concern

    Why it is not edible

    The fruiting bodies are tough and leathery.

    Extracts are marketed elsewhere as food supplements; this is not a recommendation to collect it or to self-medicate.

    Frequently asked questions

    Turkey tail: Is it edible?

    No, it is considered inedible. Not an edible mushroom; the fruiting bodies are tough and leathery.

    Turkey tail: When and where does it grow?

    It can be found all year. All year; fresh fruiting bodies mainly from late May to August. Tree partners and habitat: Dead broadleaved wood, mainly European beech, also oak, birch, hazel, rarely conifer wood. Soil: Stumps, fallen trunks and branches. Altitude: From the lowlands up to the hills and mountains.

    Turkey tail: What are the look-alikes?

    The most important one to rule out is Ochre bracket (Trametes ochracea, inedible): It lacks the silky, shiny zones, and the attachment point is clearly thicker. Other look-alikes: Hairy bracket.

    Related species

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    Sources

    Photo credits

    No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.

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