Underside view:

Classification: | Phylum: Basidiomycota | Class: Agaricomycetes | Order: Agaricales | Family: Schizophyllaceae | Genus: Schizophyllum |

This mushroom is a very common and is widely distributed in almost every continent. It is a small stemless mushroom where the cap is shell-shaped and greyish white. It can be easily mistaken to be a bracket mushroom. The underside has gill-like folds that are pale reddish or grey.

The mushroom is known to cause fungal infection in human, especially in those who have a compromised immune system or poor health though the occurrence is low. The first case of infection by this mushroom was on the nail (onychomycosis) reported in 1950. The other location where this fungal infection may take place is the lung (allergic broncho-pulmonary mycosis).

Publications:

(1) Kligman AM. A basidiomycete probably causing onychomycosis. J Invest Dermatol 1950; 14: 67-70.

(2) Chowdhary A, Randhawa HS, Gaur SN, Agarwal K, Kathuria S, Roy P, Klaassen CH, Meis JF. Schizophyllum commune as an emerging fungal pathogen: a review and report of two cases. Mycoses 2013; 56(1): 1-10.

Online References: | Mushroom Expert | Rogers Mushrooms | Fungi of California | Tom Volk's Fungus |