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Wood-Decomposer Mushrooms: Log and Stump Fungi

Wood decomposers break down dead logs and stumps and fruit straight from the wood. The group includes some of the easiest edibles to learn and to grow, along with a few toxic species that share the same logs.

Species in this group

17 species
Large chalky agarikon conk with a cracked pale surface high on an old conifer

Agarikon

Laricifomes officinalis

Medicinal
Smooth tan birch polypore bracket with a pale pore surface attached to birch

Birch Polypore

Fomitopsis betulina

Inedible
Large black cracked chaga conk on the trunk of a living white birch

Chaga

Inonotus obliquus

Medicinal
A tight cluster of small tawny deadly galerina mushrooms growing from rotting wood

Deadly Galerina

Galerina marginata

Poisonous
A reddish-brown false morel with a brain-like wrinkled cap

False Morel

Gyromitra esculenta

Poisonous
A cluster of pale cream ghost fungus caps on a eucalyptus stump in daylight, with crowded gills running down the stems

Ghost Fungus

Omphalotus nidiformis

Poisonous
A cluster of bright orange Jack O'Lantern mushrooms growing on a stump

Jack O'Lantern

Omphalotus illudens

Poisonous
Overlapping gray oyster mushrooms growing on a hardwood log

Oyster Mushroom

Pleurotus ostreatus

Edible
Varnished reishi bracket with concentric red brown bands and a pale growing margin on hardwood

Reishi

Ganoderma sichuanense

Medicinal
Fresh shiitake mushrooms with brown caps and white gills

Shiitake

Lentinula edodes

Edible
A cluster of turkey tail bracket fungi on a mossy log, thin overlapping fans banded in brown, rust, tan and gray

Turkey Tail

Trametes versicolor

Medicinal
A white, shaggy Lion's Mane mushroom with cascading spines on a tree trunk

Lion's Mane

Hericium erinaceus

Medicinal
Generated field-guide illustration of amber velvet shank caps with pale gills and dark lower stems clustered on winter wood

Velvet Shank

Flammulina velutipes

Caution
Dark hoof-shaped Mesima bracket with a brown growing margin on a humid tropical hardwood trunk

Mesima

Tropicoporus linteus

Medicinal
Whole poria sclerotium cut open to show its thin brown rind and dense white interior

Poria

Wolfiporia cocos

Medicinal
Red-belted conk bracket on a fallen conifer

Red-Belted Conk

Fomitopsis pinicola

Inedible
Scaly inkcap cluster with gray-brown caps, small brown scales and darkening gills growing from a stump

Scaly Inkcap

Coprinopsis romagnesiana

Poisonous Keep browsing Browse mushrooms by habitat

What wood decomposers do

These fungi, called saprobes, break down the lignin and cellulose in dead wood. Their mushrooms usually push out of logs, stumps or buried roots. On the wood you tend to see shelves, overlapping layers or tight clusters, while single stems rising from bare soil point to another group.

Many polypores feed this way, and the polypore hub covers their brackets in detail. Turkey tail is a good example, with its banded fans layered along a dead log.

Easy to learn, easy to grow

Because they eat dead wood, many of these species take to logs and sawdust in cultivation. Oyster mushrooms and shiitake are the classic examples. They are the first mushrooms most home growers try.

Oysters also grow on straw, and our oyster growing guide follows a batch from straw to harvest. Shiitake stays with wood, and you can grow shiitake on hardwood logs or sawdust blocks.

Which wood-growers are poisonous?

Growth on wood rules some species in and others out, and a few toxic species grow on wood too. The jack o'lantern comes up in clusters on or near dead hardwood stumps and buried roots. Deadly galerina also fruits on decaying wood and carries the same amatoxins as the death cap.

Warning

Growth on wood narrows the list, and a few toxic species grow on wood too. Confirm gills, spore print, and species before eating anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a wood-decomposer mushroom grow on?

Mostly dead wood. Look for them on logs, stumps, fallen branches and buried roots, usually as shelves or clusters. Single stems rising from bare soil usually belong to other groups.

Are wood-decomposer mushrooms easy to grow?

Many are. Because they feed on dead wood, species like oyster and shiitake grow well on logs and sawdust, so beginners often pick them for a first grow.