Splitgill

Schizophyllum commune

On dead deciduous and coniferous wood. All year round.

Fruiting bodies small. Cap 1-3 (3) cm across, fan- or shell-shaped, greyish, whitish-grey, soft cream, greyish-yellowish, surface bristly, similar to felt, the margin lobed and pleated. False gills radiating from the point of attachment to the substrate towards the cap margin, pinkish-brownish, violet-grey, ochre-brownish, the edges split lengthwise, as if doubled, distant. Flesh pale, thin, tough, without any particular smell, mild-tasting.

Characteristic features: fan-shaped, shaggy, felt-like fruiting bodies. Grows mostly on snags, dead branches and stumps, rarely on debarked, dried wood of living trees. It does not freeze to death or dry out; after rain it revives and continues to grow.