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Yellowing Curtain Crust
Inedible 
Autumn 
Spring 
Summer 
Winter 
A rather impressive looking crust, often misidentified as Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum). Same as its lookalike, it forms dense clusters of annual fruit bodies on various hardwoods. The dominant colour is somewhat dark, rusty orange to reddish.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Yellowing Curtain Crust, Crawen Gedennog (CY), Skórnik Aksamitny (PL), Bársonyos Réteggomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Stereum subtomentosum |
| Synonyms | Stereum arcticum |
| Season Start | All Year |
| Season End | All Year |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 3–7 |
Fruiting Body
This species forms semi-pileate or pileate fruit bodies. Often grows in clusters, also often forms large tiers (when numerous fruit bodies are fused/overlapping).
3–7 cm wide, semi circular to fan-shaped, and attaching to the substrate without having a stem.
Upper surface (skin) is velvety to smooth, it is concentrically zoned. Originally somewhat reddish orange to reddish brown, but fading to greyish ochre with age. Often covered with algae, which can give a green tinge to a dense green cover to the cap. Margin is sharp, always paler, whitish grey, whitish ochre.
Fertile surface is smooth (or uneven, slightly warty), variable, yellowish to ochraceous at first, fading to somewhat more greyish ochre with age, staining yellow when cut or bruised.
Flesh
Very thin (up to 0.5 mm), tough and elastic when moist, leathery and brittle when dry, reddish buff.
Habitat
On the dead wood of hardwoods, especially on Beech and Sycamore. Saprotrophic, causes white-rot.
Possible Confusion
It is most often confused with Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum), pictured, which has a more yellow margin, and doesn’t have any red on its hairy cap.
Also, often confused with False Turkeytail (Stereum ostrea), but we can’t turn a blind eye to the fact that Stereum ostrea seems to be a species complex of at least 2–3 rather similar looking species (especially if we think about the North American collections).
Taste / Smell
Inedible. Taste and smell not distinctive.
Frequency
It was thought to be rather rare in the past, but nowadays considered common and widespread in the UK.
Spores
Spore print is white. Spores ellipsoid, smooth, colourless (hyaline) and very slightly amyloid (which proves the spore wall does contain starch in traces).
Other Facts
The epithet (2nd part of the scientidic name) means ‘hairy to the level which is nearly tomentose‘ (tomentose means woolly, velvety or densely covered with soft hairs).
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