Crimped gill or Hairy curtain crust

Thin fans, shells or kidneys 1 to 2 cm across, up to 3 cm, attached at the side or at one narrow point, in dense overlapping tiers; neighbours often fuse. On the top of branches it can form rosettes.

The upper surface is finely felty or velvety, zoned in tawny orange, orange-brown and yellow-brown, with a pale or white wavy edge that's often rolled under. Young ones are whitish and turn browner with age.

The fruiting body is 1-4 cm across, thin, leathery, spatula- to fan-shaped, attached by the side or back. The upper surface is densely covered with short (up to 0.3 cm) stiff hairs, like felt. The colouring is distinctly zoned, or banded: alternating yellow-orange, ochre, rusty-brown and grey-brown concentric zones. Older areas turn grey-brown. In young fruiting bodies the margin is bright yellow-orange and sharp.

There are no gills or pores. The underside is pale, dirty white, greyish or tinged blue-grey or greenish, wrinkled into radial, winding, forking folds like crimped pastry.

The spores are tiny and sausage-shaped.

Smooth, with no pores, gills or spines, which is typical of the genus Stereum ("stereum" from Greek stereo, "hard, smooth"). The underside is yellow-ochre when young, brownish grey with age. The spore print is white.

There's no stem, or only a trace: it's attached to the wood at the side or at one narrow point.

No stem. The fruiting body is attached to the substrate by its side or back edge (sessile).

The flesh is thin, soft and pliant when fresh and brittle when dry.

The flesh is very thin, leathery, tough and brownish yellow. It's useless in the kitchen, like cardboard. The smell is faint and neutral.

The smell is indistinct.

Faint, neutral, with no notable features.