Trainwrecker

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Trainwrecker, also called Scaly Sawgill, is a common, variable, medium-sized to large, gilled mushroom. It occurs in Europe, Asia, and North America. In the United States it occurs east of the Great Plains, on the West Coast, and throughout the Rocky Mountains. It occurs across southern Canada except for the Great Plains.

Trainwrecker grows on the dead wood of coniferous trees. It is saprobic, obtaining its nutrients and causing brown rot in decayed wood. It is found from May to November, alone or in small groups, on well-decayed stumps, logs, and lumber. It grows equally well on creosote-treated and untreated lumber, including wood fences, railroad ties, and landscape timber in gardens.

When it first appears, the cap is convex and whitish to buff or pale yellow, the margins are curved inward and are beaded with droplets of moisture, and the surface is sticky. As it ages, it broadens out. Mature caps are round, flat or nearly flat, and 2″ to 6″ (5 to 15 cm) in diameter or sometimes larger. The surface is dry, whitish to buff or pale yellow, and concentrically covered with appressed, brownish scales, especially toward the center.

The main gills are whitish, subdistant, and interspersed with frequent, closely spaced, short gills that do not reach the stalk. The main gills usually run down the stalk (decurrent), but are sometimes broadly attached (adnate) or notched. They become yellowish or buff with saw-toothed (serrated) edges as they age.

The stalk is solid, very tough, ¾″ to 4″ (2 to 10 cm) long, and ¾″ to 1½″ (2 to 4 cm) thick. It is tapered at the base and colored like the cap. It sometimes has a ring of tissue, remnants of the partial veil, but this is often lost with age. It is covered with brownish scales below the ring.

The flesh usually has a distinct, anise-like odor. It is edible on younger specimens if well cooked, but it should be avoided if growing on treated wood.

The spore print is white.

Similar Species

Habitat and Hosts

Decayed coniferous stumps and logs, and treated or untreated lumber.

Ecology

Season

June through September

Distribution

Sources

24, 30, 77, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 9/11/2026).

Neolentinus lepideus (Fr.) Redhead & Ginns in Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Abreu, C., Acero P, A., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (2026-08-26 XR). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgyy9

Mycology Collections Portal (MyCoPortal) https://www.mycoportal.org/portal/collections/index.php). Accessed 9/11/2026.