zones itself grey on the dead wood

Size
Width: 3–8 cm
Lifespan
1 years
Diet
Saprotrophic: feeds on dead wood of native and introduced trees.
Habitat
Grows on dead wood in forests and gardens. Forms thin, leathery brackets.
Range
Throughout North and South Islands on dead wood. Found worldwide.
Endemism
Native
Main Threats
None significant. Localised threats include removal of dead wood.
Population
A common bracket fungus on dead wood. Thin leathery brackets are hairy on top.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
caution
Handling Note
inedible; do not ingest
Conservation Note
Native fungus; not assessed by NZTCS as fungi are generally outside the scope of current threat classifications.
Te Ao Māori
In Māori tradition, the Zoned Bracket was the rough worker of the forest, the hairy one that did the dirty work of breaking down dead wood. Its rough texture was a sign of toughness and persistence, a sign that the cycle of decay was continuing. The hair is not vanity. It is function.
The Zoned Bracket is the hairy cousin of Turkey Tail, defined by a texture that is rough to the touch. The fruiting body is a thin, leathery bracket, three to eight centimetres across, growing in overlapping clusters on dead wood. The upper surface is hairy (hirsute), rough like fine sandpaper, distinctly zoned with concentric rings of grey, brown, and white. It looks like Turkey Tail, but it feels different, rougher, more textured. The underside is white to pale cream, covered in tiny pores. The flesh is tough and leathery, and the fruiting body can persist for months. Biologically, the Zoned Bracket is a saprotroph, feeding on dead wood. It is a decomposer, turning fallen logs and branches into soil. It is one of the most common bracket fungi in the world, found on every continent. The Zoned Bracket is not edible. It is too tough and leathery to eat. But its beauty is in its texture, its rough, hairy surface that catches the light and the rain. To find a Zoned Bracket is to find a fungus that appeals to your sense of touch. It is a reminder that the forest is full of textures, not just colours, and that sometimes the roughest things are the most interesting.