The generative hyphae remain alive through the reproductive process. These hyphae end at the underside of the bracket. The underside consists of thousands of pores which release the spores into the air.

The structure and rigidity of the bracket is formed by skeletal (long, thick-walled, and unbranched) and binding (long and frequently branched) hyphae. These strands are alive at their growing tips. The structural hyphae are tightly interwoven, tough, hollow, and dead at maturity.

The photographed turkey tail (Trametes versicolor (L.) Pilát) is an unusually large and brightly colored specimen; most turkey tails range from 2.5 to 10 centimeters (1 to 4 inches) and have zones of browns, grays, and white with the orange. Turkey tail fungus is a widely distributed polypore (family: Polyporaceae); it has been found around the world.

Trametes versicolor is usually found on dead deciduous trees, but may be found on injured areas of live trees or on conifers. Wood consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, (both are polymers of sugar) and lignin (a ring compound). Cellulose and hemicellulose are light in color, lignin is dark.

Turkey tail fungus causes "white rot" of wood. The mycelia (mats of hyphae) of the fungus grow through the wood and secrete laccases, enzymes that depolymerize ring compounds like phenols and lignin. With the lignin digested and absorbed by the fungus, only the white cellulose is left, hence the name "white rot". These lignin-decaying laccases are currently under study as a biologically safe alternative to chlorine bleaching used during the manufacture of paper.

(Compiled from: Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, Gary H. Lincoff, National Audubon Society, Alfred A. Knopf, 1981; "Turkey Tail Fungus", Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month, August 1997; The Illinois Mycological Association website; and "The Production of Bleached Kraft Pulp", Lauren Blum, Environmental Defense Fund, 1996)