Species details

Variable oysterling

Crepidotus variabilis

Inedible
Variable oysterling – Crepidotus variabilis

Photo: jacilluch · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A small white to brownish shell-shaped fungus attached laterally to thin dead branches.

Identification features

Cap up to about 3 cm wide, initially white and finely felted, later brownish and shell-shaped. Gills begin white, then turn pinkish to cinnamon-brown.

Identification checklist

Check the very small shell-shaped cap on a thin branch, almost absent stem and gills that brown with age.

How to separate similar species

Crepidotus mollis is larger and has a characteristic gelatinous layer beneath the peelable cap skin.

Habitat

Grows on dead twigs and small hardwood debris, mainly from summer to autumn.

Fruiting period

July, August, September, October, November

Similar species

Extended-description sources