HAIRy curtain crust
A rather impressive looking crust, often forming dense clusters of annual fruit bodies on various hardwoods. The dominant colour is yellow to rusty orange, there is no sign of red on its hairy skin.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Hairy Curtain Crust (EN), Hairy Parchment (US), Crawen Flewog (CY), Skórnik Szorstki (PL), Borostás Réteggomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Stereum hirsutum |
| Synonyms | Thelephora hirsuta |
| Season Start | All |
| Season End | All |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 3–10 |
Fruiting Body:
This species might form fully resupinate, semi-pileate or pileate fruit bodies. Often grows in clusters, also often forms large tiers (when numerous fruit bodies are fused/overlapping).
3–10 cm long x 1–3 cm wide, semi circular to fan-shaped, and attaching to the substrate without having a stem.
Upper surface (skin) is covered with short, stiff hairs (hirsute). It is concentrically zoned. Originally ochre to yellow, but can be brownish too. Margin is sharp, yellow, but it might fade with age.
Fertile surface is smooth (or warty), bright yellow to brownish orange, fading to somewhat ochraceous with age.
Flesh:
Thin (up to 1 mm) and elastic, yellowish.
Habitat:
On the living and dead wood of hardwoods, and according to some authors, even on conifers, but we have never seen it on conifers. Saprotrophic, causes white-rot.
Taste / Smell:
Inedible. Taste and smell not distinctive.
Frequency:
Very common and widespread in the UK.
Spores:
Spore print is white. Spores ellipsoid, cylindrical, smooth, colourless (hyaline) and very slightly amyloid (which proves the spore wall does contain starch in traces).