Dyer’s Polypore: The Wood-Like Mushroom That Can Dye Fabric Naturally

 Whenever I go searching for matsutake mushrooms, I meet many other fungi along the way.

Conks, Amanitas, Russulas—and many strange mushrooms that make me stop and wonder:

Is this poisonous?
Could it have a traditional use?
Or is it simply another beautiful part of the forest?

When I hike with my husband or friends, there is one fungus we seem to encounter surprisingly often.

It is Dyer’s Polypore.

This mushroom looks as though it has slowly hardened into a piece of wood.

A mushroom that looks like wood.
A piece of wood that turns out to be a mushroom.

When someone asks me what it is and I explain that it can be used to make natural dye, the usual reaction is something like:

“Really? This?”

I understand the surprise. By the time we find it, it is often so brown, dry, and hard that it barely resembles the soft mushrooms most people imagine.

But this unusual forest fungus can produce shades of yellow, gold, orange, green, rusty brown, and deeper brown.

Have you ever dyed yarn or fabric with Dyer’s Polypore?

I have not tried it yet, but I would love to make it a special project one day. I have imagined buying a simple hemp garment—something light and cool for summer—and giving it a beautiful natural color from the forest.

For now, it is still only an idea.

But perhaps one day, one of these hard brown mushrooms will become part of something I can actually wear.

An older Dyer’s Polypore has lost the bright yellow edge of its young stage
and dried into a dark brown, wood-like rosette.

What Is Dyer’s Polypore?

Dyer’s Polypore is the common name for fungi in the genus Phaeolus.

It is also known by several other names, including:

• Velvet-top fungus
• Dyer’s fungus
• Dyer’s mazegill
• Cow-pie fungus

The name “polypore” refers to the many tiny pores on the underside of the fruiting body. Unlike familiar mushrooms with gills, polypores release their spores through these pores.

Dyer’s Polypore usually grows at the base of conifer trees, from stumps, or seemingly from the forest floor. When it appears to be growing directly from the ground, it is often connected to buried conifer roots or wood beneath the soil.

It can grow as a circular rosette with a depressed center or as several overlapping, irregular shelves.

Quick Identification Summary

• Common name: Dyer’s Polypore
• Scientific identification: Phaeolus sp.
• Traditional North American name: Phaeolus schweinitzii
• Growth form: Circular rosette or overlapping shelves
• Surface: Velvety when fresh; dry, rough, and brittle when old
• Underside: Pores rather than gills
• Habitat: Near the bases and buried roots of conifers
• Season: Usually appears in late summer and fall
• Edibility: Not edible
• Primary craft use: Natural dye for yarn and fabric

An Important Scientific Name Update

Most older North American field guides identify Dyer’s Polypore as Phaeolus schweinitzii.

However, newer research has divided what was once considered a single widespread species into several species. Current North American information recognizes multiple members of the genus Phaeolus, while Phaeolus schweinitzii in the strict modern sense is considered a European and Asian species.

Because this specimen was photographed in Washington and was not examined microscopically or genetically, I am using the more careful name Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus sp.) rather than forcing a species-level identification from photographs alone.

You will still see the name Phaeolus schweinitzii used by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, older field guides, and many mushroom-dye references. The common name Dyer’s Polypore remains useful, but the scientific classification is being updated.

You can read more about this recent taxonomic change through UMass Extension’s Phaeolus overview.

Why Does This One Look So Brown and Wood-Like?

Fresh Dyer’s Polypore can look dramatically different from the old specimen in my photographs.

When young and actively growing, it may have:

• A soft or velvety upper surface
• Bright yellow, orange, or yellow-green outer edges
• Reddish-brown, olive, or yellow-brown concentric zones
• A yellow to greenish pore surface underneath
• Tissue that bruises dark brown when touched

As it ages, the bright colors disappear.

The fruiting body becomes dark reddish-brown or nearly black, dries out, and turns brittle. Old specimens may remain near the tree for a year or two, long after their softer mushroom-like appearance is gone.

That is exactly why the fungus in these photographs looks so much like bark or hardened wood. It is an older, dried fruiting body rather than a fresh, actively growing one.

The U.S. Forest Service describes fresh conks as velvety with yellow margins, while old conks become dark brown and brittle.

From the side, the aged fruiting body looks more like layered bark than a mushroom
—one reason it surprises people that it can be used as a dye source.

How I Would Recognize Dyer’s Polypore

Color alone is not enough because this fungus changes so much as it ages.

I would look for a combination of features:

1. The Nearby Tree

Dyer’s Polypore is strongly associated with conifers. In the Pacific Northwest, older references frequently report it around Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western larch, true firs, and several pine species.

2. Where It Is Growing

It may grow directly from the base of a tree or stump.

It may also appear to grow from the soil several feet away from the trunk. In that case, it may be fruiting from a buried root.

A ground-growing mushroom is not always growing from the soil itself.

3. Its Rosette or Layered Form

The fruiting body may form a large circular rosette with a sunken center. It can also develop as overlapping, fan-shaped shelves arising from a shared base.

4. The Pore Surface

Dyer’s Polypore has pores underneath—not gills.

On a fresh specimen, the pore surface may be yellow, greenish-yellow, olive, or orange and can darken rapidly when bruised. With age, the entire underside becomes brown.

5. Its Changing Texture

Fresh growth may feel velvety and somewhat pliable. Old growth becomes dry, hard, and brittle, much like the fungus shown in my photographs.

When I find a fresh one in the future, I hope to photograph its underside, bright growing edge, nearby host tree, and attachment point. Those details would make the identification much stronger.

Could It Be Confused With Another Fungus?

Yes.

Dyer’s Polypore can be confused with other brown, velvety polypores associated with conifers—especially species in the genus Onnia, such as the tomentose polypore.

The shape, size, pore surface, attachment point, host tree, age, and bruising reaction should all be considered together.

An old brown specimen can be especially difficult to identify because many of its most distinctive fresh colors have disappeared. Photographs alone may not always be sufficient for a species-level identification.

How Can Such a Brown Mushroom Make Natural Dye?

The mushroom contains pigments that can be extracted into hot water and transferred to fiber.

A mordant—a substance used to help pigments bind to fiber—can also change the final shade. The mushroom’s age, the portion used, the fiber, water chemistry, pH, temperature, and mordant can all influence the result.

Fresh yellow edges are often associated with brighter yellow and golden shades.

Darker or older portions may produce rusty brown and deeper brown colors.

Under different dyeing conditions, Dyer’s Polypore may also produce orange, olive-green, or greenish shades. The Mount Rainier National Park mushroom guide notes that its dye colors can vary according to the specimen’s age, the material being dyed, and the mordant used.

That unpredictability is part of what makes mushroom dyeing so fascinating.

The mushroom you see in the forest does not always reveal the exact color waiting inside it.

My Future Hemp-Dye Project

If I try dyeing a hemp garment one day, I will begin with a small piece of matching fabric rather than placing the entire garment into the dye bath.

I would want to record:

• Whether the mushroom was fresh or old
• Which portions of the fruiting body were used
• The weight of the mushroom and fabric
• How the fabric was washed and prepared
• Which mordant was used
• The pH and approximate dyeing time
• The color before and after rinsing and drying

A small test would allow me to see how well the color binds to the hemp and whether the final result is yellow, olive, rusty brown, or something completely unexpected.

If I eventually try this project, I would love to compare a young specimen with an older brown one like this.

More Than a Dye Mushroom

Dyer’s Polypore is not simply a source of natural color.

Members of the genus Phaeolus live in and around conifer roots and lower trunks. They cause a type of decay known as brown cubical root and butt rot.

The fungus breaks down important structural components of the wood, leaving it brown, brittle, and divided into cube-like pieces. Over time, this decay can weaken roots and the lower portion of a tree.

Finding one fruiting body does not tell us exactly how much internal decay is present, and it does not automatically mean that a tree is about to fall. However, a conk near a large tree can be an important clue.

If Dyer’s Polypore appears near a home, driveway, road, campsite, or heavily used trail, the nearby tree may deserve an assessment from a qualified arborist—especially if it is leaning or shows other signs of decline.

At the same time, this fungus also has an ecological role. Decayed wood eventually becomes part of the forest floor, helping retain moisture and contributing organic material to the soil. The University of California Cooperative Extension explains both its potential to weaken trees and its contribution to forest soil conditions.

Is Dyer’s Polypore Edible or Medicinal?

Dyer’s Polypore is not considered an edible mushroom.

Its well-known use is as a source of natural dye—not as food, tea, or medicine.

Its hard texture may make that seem obvious in an old specimen, but even young, softer fruiting bodies should not be treated as edible mushrooms. A natural dye use does not mean that a fungus is safe to consume.

Mushroom and Dyeing Safety

⚠️ Never eat any wild mushroom unless you are 100% certain of its identification and edibility.

Dyer’s Polypore is not an edible mushroom and should not be brewed as tea or used as a home medicinal preparation.

For a dye project:

• Confirm the identification before collecting.
• Check local harvesting rules and obtain permission.
• Never collect mushrooms from a national park or other protected land unless collection is specifically permitted.
• Use a dedicated dye pot and utensils that will never be used for food.
• Wear appropriate gloves and follow all safety instructions for the mordant being used.
• Work in a well-ventilated area and keep dye materials away from children and pets.
• Dispose of mordant and dye baths according to local guidance.
• Harvest responsibly and take only the amount needed for the project.

Watch My Dyer’s Polypore YouTube Videos

Want to see this unusual, wood-like fungus more closely and discover its colorful secret?

Watch the full video here: Dyer’s Polypore: The Forest Fungus With a Colorful Secret 🍄🎨

You can also watch the short version here: This Strange Mushroom Can Make Natural Dye! 🎨🍄

You May Also Enjoy

Dyer’s Polypore is not the only forest fungus that becomes remarkably hard and wood-like. Artist’s Conk has its own unusual secrets—its pale pore surface can be drawn on, and it has also been traditionally prepared as tea.

🌿 Related article: Would You Draw on This Mushroom—or Drink It? Artist’s Conk in the Pacific Northwest

Searching for matsutake often leads us to unexpected forest discoveries. On one trip, we did not find the mushroom we were hoping for—but we encountered a strange little Gnome Plant instead.

🌿 Read next: We Went Looking for Matsutake and Found a Gnome Plant Instead

Join Me on YouTube

If you enjoy wild plants, mushrooms, fish, shellfish, Korean-style cooking, and seasonal wild harvest stories from the Pacific Northwest, I would love to have you join me on YouTube.

📺 Wild Harvest Life PNW

Final Thoughts

When I first began seeing these dark, hardened fungi during mushroom hikes, they looked like little more than old pieces of wood.

Now, when I see one, I imagine all the colors it might hold.

Yellow. Gold. Olive green. Rusty brown.

Perhaps one day, one of them will help me create a naturally dyed piece of clothing—and the color will carry a memory of the forest where I found it.

Have you ever dyed wool, yarn, or fabric with Dyer’s Polypore?

What color did you get?

I would love to hear about your experience.

Stay tuned for more Wild Harvest Life adventures! 🌿