Fungus · GBIF taxon 5247228
Violet-toothed Polypore
Trichaptum biformeAlso known as Violet-pored Bracket Fungus, Purple Tooth, Violet Tooth
Violet-toothed polypores adorn dead hardwood logs in dense, overlapping fan-like clusters. Fresh growing specimens display a vivid violet or lilac margin along their thin caps, fading to greyish-tan as they age, while the underside features tiny tooth-like pores. These hardy wood-decay fungi play an essential ecological role by breaking down lignin and recycling nutrients back into forest soils.
Shelf FungusWood DecayerSaprotrophic
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Decaying oak wood
- Decaying birch wood
- Decaying maple wood
Predators
- Fungus beetles
- Fungus gnat larvae
- Slugs
ThreatsWidespread deforestation
HabitatsHardwood forests and mixed woodlands
Life spanFruit bodies last several months to a year
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderHymenochaetales
- FamilyHymenochaetaceae
- GenusTrichaptum
- SpeciesTrichaptum biforme
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Underside Inspection: Turn over a shelf to check for the distinctive purple to brownish tooth-like pores.
- Substrate Clues: Note the host wood, as this fungus prefers hardwoods like oak, birch, and maple.
- Age Recognition: Look for bright violet rim margins on younger, actively growing caps.
Look-alike Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Look-alike (c) Christine Young, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christine Young · cc-by
Competitor no rights reserved · cc0
Close Relative (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · cc-by
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.