Yellowing Curtain Crust

Stereum subtomentosum

Also known as Yellow Curtain Crust.

Photo: Charles Joynson · CC0 1.0

About this fungus

Yellowing Curtain Crust is a fungus in the Stereaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.

Overlapping, wavy-edged little fans on hardwood, velvety and zoned above but completely smooth beneath.

What to check

Confirm that the underside has no pores, gills or teeth. Fresh pale fertile tissue typically develops a clear yellow stain where bruised.

Variation

Old brackets become grey or green with algae and may lose both their velvety texture and strong staining response. Fresh margins are usually paler.

Lookalikes

Turkeytail has many tiny pores underneath. Stereum hirsutum is hairier and does not show the same yellow bruising, while Chondrostereum purpureum has violet tones.

Habitat and range

A decomposer of dead broadleaf wood across temperate Europe and parts of North America and Asia. Fruit bodies persist year-round, with spore release concentrated in warmer wet periods.

Food safety

Inedible.

Photographs

Species to compare

Similar mushrooms to compare against:

A glimpse of the research.

Weather response

No weather association passed the study’s checks for a clear, repeatable result.

These are patterns in recorded observations, not rules, forecasts or identification evidence. Local conditions and recording patterns can affect the findings.

Read six species examples →