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280 days of Urbpandemonium #175

When my coworker drew my attention to these attractive mushrooms on a twig of cherry I was pretty confident I'd be able to identify them. From the top view it looked obvious that these were turkey tail mushrooms Trametes versicolor*.

Then I looked at the underside and something was wrong. The pores on Trametes versicolor are so small that they are difficult to see with the naked eye. These are fairly large, as pores go.

So I consulted a couple different mushroom identification groups, confident that an identification would be quickly forthcoming.

No such luck, although one member suggested T. ochracea** but one of that mushroom's characteristics is a rigid, hard texture--I don't recall that these ones were. At least I don't think they were, I should have taken notice of it but didn't, I surely will next time.

My guess is that these are T. hirsuta***, which apparently isn't as starkly contrasted as some other Trametes mushrooms, does have the larger pores, and is apparently widely distributed. Confidence and mushroom identification don't always go well with one another.
* Thin, of many colors
** Ochre in color
*** Hirsute
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Possibly: Phaeolus schweinitzii, the dye polypore or velvet-top fungus http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov2007.html
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rubyelf got me into mushrooms recently and I come here at the suggestion of ellettra. I am also friends with sugarsweet.
I recently found an earthstar-- quite a thrill. I've also learned recently to check the underside of mushrooms [and leaves] that I am attempting to i.d.
I love your pictures of probable T. hirsuta on the curvy branch. I'll be following along on your adventures.
Thanks for being you.
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Thanks for the kind words :)