Species details

Violet-toothed polypore

Trichaptum biforme

Inedible
Violet-toothed polypore – Trichaptum biforme

Photo: Tom Zucker-Scharff · CC BY 4.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A very thin papery bracket on hardwood with a lilac-violet fertile surface that fades and becomes tooth-like with age.

Identification features

Fruitbodies are up to about 8 cm wide and only a few millimetres thick, fan-shaped and often overlapping. The young underside is distinctly lilac-violet.

Identification checklist

Check the very thin fan-shaped bracket and lilac-violet porous underside, especially in young fruitbodies.

How to separate similar species

Trichaptum abietinum is more typical on conifer wood and is usually smaller.

Habitat

Grows on hardwood stumps, logs and branches and causes white rot; visible through much of the year.

Fruiting period

March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November

Similar species

Extended-description sources