Tags
edible, foraging, fungi, medicinal, mushroom, nature, turkey tail, urban nature
As you may have noticed, temperatures have lowered and humidity has increased due to the frequent rain we’ve been receiving lately. In Berlin this marks the onset of mushroom season, a time when cockeyed hordes of mycophiles descend in the woods around Brandenburg looking for tasty treats. However, this does not mean that the city itself is fungus-free: a common and strikingly beautiful dweller of Northern woodlands is also frequently found in Berlin.
Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) often colonizes decomposing pieces of wood and can be found (among other places) on large tree stumps in the city’s sidewalks. True to its Latin name, the mushroom comes in many colors, which, coupled with its undulating shape, makes for a mesmerizing spectacle. However, there is much more to this mushroom than meets the eye!
Turkey Tail has a long and esteemed history in traditional Chinese medicine and it is also one of the most medically researched mushrooms in the world. A compound isolated from the mushroom is used to boost the immune system in conjunction with regular cancer treatment. In particular, the mushroom has shown great promise in the treatment of breast and lung cancer. The mushroom is also edible although it is rather chewy and does not have much flavor. In alternative medicine, it is often prescribed in tea form for various illnesses. Finally, the versatile mushroom can also be used to dye fabrics or, alternately, fade their colors. Compounds from the mushroom are industrially used as an environmentally-conscious bleach to give jeans their “faded” look.
Although this mushroom is common, it is often mistaken for False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostria). To tell the two apart, it suffices to observe their undersides. False Turkey Tail completely lacks the pore surface of its lookalike. For a complete identification key, see here. 
Hey, thanks for the in-depth introduction to turkey tail! Though my blog suggests otherwise, there is definitely a large part of me that only cares about flora that tastes good, so I had never really thought about turkey tail before, despite being an enthusiastic collector of edible mushrooms (and books about them). I had only heard of them in this article:
http://www.supernaturale.com/articles.html?id=298
which might interest you as it describes the opposite of the process you mentioned – using turkey tail to dye things – namely, dying turkey tails!
I’ll certainly be keeping my eye out for these beauties after your post, and I definitely think occasional detours into the fungus world are ok on a plant website. I even have a lovely DDR-era nature guide that I found in the trash which features East Germany’s animals (animals) and plants (plants and fungi)
Glad you enjoyed our post and thanks for pointing out this interesting article! I wonder if the artist is aware of the irony of dying turkey tails (while possibly wearing jeans that have been faded by the same mushrooms)…
Your DDR-era nature guide sounds like a real treasure!
Great photos! What books would you recommend for further info on uses for mushrooms? Ethnobotanical guides would be especially of interest.
Thanks, Rebecca! We are also just amateur mushroom foragers so unfortunately I’m not sure how helpful we can be, but here is some extra information….
One of the names that came up frequently while we were researching Turkey Tails is Paul Stamets – he seems to be a well-known mycologist that has written a lot about the uses of different mushrooms. He published a book called MycoMedicinals (http://www.amazon.com/MycoMedicinals-Informational-Mushrooms-Paul-Stamets/dp/0963797190/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_5) which might be worth looking at… The product description lists the 17 mushrooms discussed in the book, so you could also research them individually.
Another one which might be more accessible is Chris Hobb’s Medicinal Mushrooms: http://www.amazon.com/Medicinal-Mushrooms-Herbs-Health-Christopher/dp/1570671435/ref=pd_sim_b_4. I would definitely consider buying this one.
Hope that helps a bit… Happy reading and let us know if you find anything of particular interest!
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