# Ochre Bracket (*trametes ochracea*)

The Ochre Bracket is a type of mushroom that grows on trees and logs. Its colorful, fan-shaped caps can brighten up any forest floor!

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** They live in forests, growing on decaying wood.
- **Also known as:** Golden Bracket, Ochre Shelf

![Ochre Bracket](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Trametes_ochracea_G3.1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trametes_ochracea_G3.1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Ochre Bracket has a shelf-like body, often growing in overlapping tiers. Its upper surface displays concentric zones of ochre, yellow, and brownish hues, with a distinct pale or whitish margin. The underside is white, covered in thousands of tiny pores.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Polyporales
- **Family:** Polyporaceae
- **Genus:** Trametes

## Interesting facts

- Even though it's tough, it helps make forests healthier by cleaning up dead trees.
- Instead of gills, it has thousands of tiny pores underneath to release its microscopic spores!
- It often grows in beautiful overlapping layers, like tiny natural shelves!
- This mushroom gets its name from its lovely yellowish-brown color, like the pigment ochre.

## Special abilities

- **Wood Wizard:** Ochre Bracket can break down tough dead wood because it produces special enzymes that help recycle nutrients.
- **Spore Shooter:** Ochre Bracket has countless tiny pores on its underside that release white spores, helping it spread to new places.
- **Weather Warrior:** Ochre Bracket can survive harsh weather conditions because its tough, leathery body resists decay and drying out.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 0.5-2 cm
- **Edible:** inedible
- **Size:** 3-10 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Year-round
- **Spore Color:** White

## Diet & Feeding

Decomposes dead hardwood, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

## Ecological connections

- **Depends on:** European Oak (*Quercus robur*) — Decomposes dead oak wood, returning nutrients.
- **Depends on:** [European Beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-beech) (*Fagus sylvatica*) — Feeds on fallen beech branches and trunks.
- **Eats:** Spanish Slug (*Arion lusitanicus*) — Slugs sometimes graze on the fungal surface.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Ochre Bracket?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Ochre Bracket?

0.5-2 cm

### Is Ochre Bracket edible?

inedible

### How big is Ochre Bracket?

3-10 cm

### What does Ochre Bracket eat?

Decomposes dead hardwood, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

### Where is Ochre Bracket usually found?

They live in forests, growing on decaying wood.

### What does Ochre Bracket grow on?

wood

### When is Ochre Bracket in season?

Year-round

## Where to spot

- [North Powellhurst Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/north-powellhurst-park) — Oregon, US · Park

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Ochre Bracket: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ochre-bracket)