Turkey Tail Mushroom

February 12, 2014

The turkey tail mushroom is a tough and leathery shelf mushroom that seems to be a strict saprotroph.  This polypore will appear on fallen wood, and many ecotypes exist: these mushrooms can be purple, gray, brown, black, blue, or any combination and mixture thereof.

This mushroom has been well documented to exhibit antitumor responses after consumption.

Turkey tails are best consumed as a tea or soup stock by boiling.

As a strict saprotroph, the turkey tail has mycorestoration potential in forestry by outperforming the parasitic honey mushroom, cauliflower mushroom, and the like.

The turkey tail mushroom gets its name–as well as its many scientific names (Trametes versicolor, Coriolus versicolor, or Polyporus versicolor)–from its alternating concentric colors.