Schizophyllum commune Fr.
Family: Schizophyllaceae
Split-Gill
Schizophyllum commune image
National Mushroom Centre  
Mata, M., D. Penjor and S. Pradham. 2010. Fungi of Bhutan. National Mushroom Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Thimphu, Bhutan.

Local name: No local name known

Edibility:  Edible

Habitat: Gregarious, fused together and growing on decayed woods and twigs

Description: Fruiting bodies: 1-3 cm long and 1-4 cm wide, dimidiate to flabelliform in shape, looks like the claws of the cat with short finger like margin. Upper surface: Woolly surface with short hairs, dirty white-grey with light purplish at the margin. Hymenophore: Highly decurrent, distant and smooth gills, purplish-brownish colour and short lamellulae present.  Stem: Up to 2cm or sessile sometimes, con-colour to the cap, position eccentric.  Flesh: Leathery and greyish coloured. Spore Print: Whitish.

Comments: Schizophyllum communeis easily recognized by its tiny fruiting bodies which lack stems, and they attach themselves like tiny bracket fungi on the dead wood of deciduous trees but they are softer. Unlike a bracket fungus, however, Schizophyllum commune has what appear to be gills on its underside rather than pores or a simple flat surface.