False Turkey Tails

Stereum ostrea

Description:

Stereum ostrea, also called "false turkey-tail" and "golden curtain crust", is a basidiomycete fungus in the family Stereaceae. It is a plant pathogen and a wood decay fungus. With concentric circles of many colors, it highly resembles Trametes versicolor, "turkey-tail", and is thus called the "false turkey-tail". (Wiki) The underside was a creamy-yellow with no visible pores, so definitely a crust fungus species rather than a polypore. Only a small colony, but all were beautifully banded and colourful. These specimens weren't the classic fan-like oyster shape, nor the reddish colours I've read about, so I'm wondering if the fruiting bodies distort and fade with age? A good local reference - http://australianfungi.blogspot.com/2007...

Habitat:

Spotted along the western ridge in Bunya Mountains National Park, southeast Queensland. Track section between drier eucalypt forest and subtropical rainforest. A cool, well-shaded area and the ground was still moist, probably from morning dew. Here's some info on the park - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/bunya...