egs3668
False Turkey Tail
Stereum Ostrea, or false turkey tail mushroom, is pictured here growing off a dead Quercus rubra (red oak) stump. This organism is a decomposer, growing in dense clumps and feeding exclusively on rotting wood, and it provides the valuable service of recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, where they can be taken up by primary producers. This mushroom is commonly confused with the true turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) due to their similar shapes. The easiest way to distinguish them is by their undersides. True turkey tail contains fine pores that are visible to the eye, while the false mushroom has a smooth surface (which I confirmed after pulling off a few from the stump).
False Turkey Tail
Stereum Ostrea, or false turkey tail mushroom, is pictured here growing off a dead Quercus rubra (red oak) stump. This organism is a decomposer, growing in dense clumps and feeding exclusively on rotting wood, and it provides the valuable service of recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, where they can be taken up by primary producers. This mushroom is commonly confused with the true turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) due to their similar shapes. The easiest way to distinguish them is by their undersides. True turkey tail contains fine pores that are visible to the eye, while the false mushroom has a smooth surface (which I confirmed after pulling off a few from the stump).