Hairy Curtain Crust

False Turkey Tail
Stereum hirsutum

This shelf-like fungus, with hairy, colorful bands on its upper surface, grows in overlapping tiers on dead hardwood year-round.

Appearance

• Shelf-like to fan-shaped with wavy or lobed margins, 1-3.5 cm. wide, and when fused, up to 8 cm. wide
• Upper surface is hairy, with concentric bands from orange to gray-brown
• Lower surface is smooth
• Without a stipe (stem)
• When young, can be fully appressed and as matures, it pulls partly away to form the shelf-like appearance
• Grows in tiers and overlapping shelves

ID Tips

• May be confused with turkey-tail (Trametes versicolor)
  • Hairy curtain crust
    • Usually smaller, 1-3.5 cm. wide
    • Lower surface is smooth
    • Upper surface with concentric bands from orange to gray-brown
  • Turkey-tail
    • Usually larger, up to 10 cm. wide
    • Lower surface has pores, but may require a hand lens to see
    • Upper surface with striking concentric bands of gray, brown, or cream
• Golden ear (Naematelia aurantia) parasitizes hairy curtain crust, so if you see golden ear on it, it’s hairy curtain crust

At Edgewood

• See iNaturalist for observations in Edgewood

About

• Basidiomycetes – a major lineage of fungi that usually produce spores within basidia (club-like structures)
• Found throughout the year
• Saprotrophic – most common on dead hardwood (e.g. oaks)
• Causes wood rot in fruit-bearing plants, such as peaches, olives, and grapes
• Edibility (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)
  • Inedible; too tough
  • Unless you are an expert, do not pick and consume wild mushrooms

Learn More

Roehl, T. 2017, Jul. 14. #013: Characteristics of division Basidiomycota. Fungus Fact List. Fungus Fact Friday.

Roehl, T. 2017, Jul. 7. #039: Mushroom morphology: Crust fungi. Fungus Fact List. Fungus Fact Friday.

References

Adaskaveg, J.E., et al. 1993, Jul. Wood decay, lignicolous fungi, and decline of peach trees in South Carolina. Plant Disease 77: 707-711. The American Phytopathological Society.

Desjardin, D.E., M.G. Wood, and F.A. Stevens. 2016. California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

Kuo, M. 2008, Dec. Stereum hirsutum. MushroomExpert.Com.

Larignon, P., and B. Dubos. 1997. Fungi associated with esca disease in grapevine. European Journal of Plant Pathology 103: 147–157.

Peighami Ashnaei, S., et al. 2022. The occurrence of Stereum hirsutum associated with wood rotting of olive trees in Iran. Journal of Horticultural Research 30(1): 41–44.

Wood, M., and F. Stevens. 2021. Stereum hirsutum. The Fungi of California. MykoWeb.