Lenzites betulina (Gilled Polypore)

March 2^nd. Lenzites betulina (Gilled Polypore) is another one of the Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) look-a-like fungi that is often misidentified as a Turkey Tail… unless we look on their undersides.

I’ve been following this fungus at Fort Yargo State Park since last August. It’s pale now, although it still shows concentric zones of brown and white colors. When I first found it last August, it...

had concentric zones of pinks and oranges. This particular specimen is composed of two brackets that have grown into a rosette shape because they’re growing on the top of the log. When growing on the sides of logs, they form semicircular brackets. I picked one of the smaller brackets to examine its…

underside that shows the deep, white gills typical of L. betulina. In contrast, Turkey Tails would have white undersides with small pores. Thus, it’s easy to identify these species just by looking at their undersides.

Within a week, the pink shades had faded, leaving shades of orange and brown.

A couple of weeks later, the oranges had also faded; brown tones dominated.

The fading continued during the next month in dry weather, but…

the colors brightened a little after some rain. This enhanced color was temporary, and…

these specimens continued to fade, although they didn’t disintegrate. 

This is the first time that I’ve seen Lenzites betulina with pink tones. Usually I’ve found young specimens with the orange and brown tones that I found on the second visit.

References: 

- Michael Kuo, Mushroom Expert: Lenzites betulina: The Gilled Polypore 

- Messiah College: Lenzites betulina 

- Discover Life: Lenzites betulina 

- Atlas of Living Australia: Lenzites betulina