False Turkey Tail

Stereum hirsutum, commonly known as the false turkey tail, hairy stereum, or hairy curtain crust, is a species of fungus and a plant pathogen that infects coniferous and deciduous trees.

 The fuzzy orangish fruiting bodies typically form in multiple overlapping brackets on dead wood. The cap is wide, sometimes fused to form wider shelves. The flesh is thin and tough. The spores and spore print are white.

It is inedible.

Similar species: Similar species include Stereum rameale, S. ostrea, and Trametes versicolor.

Habitat and distribution: Its substrates include dead limbs and trunks of both hardwoods and conifers.

It is found in various parts of the world including North America, Europe (from the Nordic countries south to the Mediterranean sea and the British Isles) and Australia.

Ecology: It is a plant pathogen infecting peach trees. S. hirsutum is itself parasitised by species such as the fungus Naematelia aurantia.