Split Gill

Cap White and hairy, sometimes tinged purple; the individual caps of Schizophyllum commune are typically 1 to 3cm across and 0.3 to 1cm thick; frequently fused into the edges of adjacent caps. Gills Pinkish grey, radiating from the attachment point (whether lateral or central), the 'gills' of Schizophyllum commune are split lengthways and they curl back to protect the fertile surfaces (hymenium) during dry weather. (In fact these gill-like structures are simply folds in thefertile undersurface of the cap, and so despite its appearance this is not strictly an agaricoid fungus.) Stem The rudimentary stems of the Split Gill fungus are very short and often not visible above the substrate surface; indeed, when underneath dead wood the fruitbodies are attached centrally via the infertile surface and without any stem. Spores Cylindrical to ellipsoidal; smooth, 4-6 x 1.5-2.5µm. Spore print White. More often than not many tiers of Split Gill fruitbodies cover damaged areas of bark on a sickly tree’s trunk or on dead or dying branches. This remarkable saprobic fungus has taken a liking to silage; it is frequently seen with tiers of fruitbodies emerging from cracks in plastic-wrapped round bales that are left piled beside field hedges or in barns.