Split gill

We treat it as inedible. It is eaten in some tropical countries, but it is tough and leathery and has caused infections in people with weak immunity.

No toxin is known. The risk is that its spores can cause lung and sinus infections in vulnerable people.

The edge of each gill is split in two. In dry weather the halves curl over to protect the gill, and in rain they open so the fungus can keep releasing spores.

A 1–4 cm fan attached at the side to dead wood, white-grey and hairy on top, with pinkish-grey gills split down the middle underneath.

Almost everywhere: our map data has 169 records from 19 provinces, led by Istanbul, Ankara, Muğla and Manisa.

All year round; because it dries out and revives after rain, it is found in winter and spring too.

It mostly breaks down dead wood, but it can cause white rot in weakened or wounded trees and in cut timber.

In our calendar, split gill season runs Oct–May. The split gill can be seen all year; it dries out and revives after rain. Turkish records peak between December and May.

On dead branches, stumps and cut timber of broadleaf trees, sometimes conifers; it survives even in sunny, dry spots. It grows in rows or clusters on the sides of wood.

Our map data (GBIF and iNaturalist) holds 169 Turkish records, the most of any species in our data. They span 19 provinces, led by Istanbul (79), Ankara (22), Muğla (16) and Manisa (10).

Split gill can be confused with turkey tail (Trametes versicolor, inedible), hairy curtain crust (Stereum hirsutum, inedible) and oysterlings (Crepidotus spp., inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

In Turkish, split gill (Schizophyllum commune) is called Tüylü maymuncuk mantarı.