Wild Wednesday - Turkey Tail
The turkey tail is a small, tough, bracket fungus that grows in tiered layers on dead hardwood logs, trunks and fallen branches, such as beech or oak. It is common and can be found throughout the UK, all year round.
They are one of the most common mushrooms in the woods. However, there are plenty of look-a-likes and their colours can be widely variable, so turn your attention to the details to make sure that what you have is not an imposter …
Turkey Tail look-a-likes can have a variety of different undersides, displaying anything from smooth to gilled, to toothed. True Turkey Tail has a porous underside with one to three pores per millimetre, with a velvety top while some of its common look-a-likes have a smooth top. The grow from two to eight centimetres across, are fan-shaped, irregularly semicircular, or even rosette-like, usually found in groups.
It is a wood-decay mushroom, so it would be unusual to find them growing elsewhere. You should be able to bend it with little effort.
It will mostly be white, off-white or buff, with a faintly hairy skin, velvety, often shiny when young but covered by algae with age.
It is inedible, without distinct taste or smell. It’s not good to eat, although not poisonous and if eaten raw, can cause side effects such as heartburn, cold and flu symptoms, and stomach pain. So don’t eat them!
However, you can buy medicinal tea made from turkey tail and researchers are exploring how it may help balance blood sugar levels, fight viral and bacterial infections, and reduce fatigue.
Read more here: Turkeytail | The Wildlife Trusts