Boletes (pores under the cap)
Beefsteak fungus
Fistulina hepatica · also known as: Ox tongue, Beefsteak polypore
Edible Partially protected
Edible (young, after soaking), but of low value – sour, astringent taste, requires long cooking. Protected in Poland – it must not be picked.
How to recognise it: beefsteak fungus
- 1
Looks like a piece of raw liver or a tongue on an oak
- 2
When cut, red, marbled flesh with blood-like juice
- 3
Whitish fine pores underneath
- 4
A protected species
Description
- Cap
- 10–25 cm wide, 2–6 cm thick, tongue-, kidney- or spatula-shaped, attached at the side; pink, orange-red, then blood-red to purplish-brown, moist, exudes drops of red juice – it resembles a slab of raw liver.
- Tubes and pores
- Tubes crowded, whitish to yellowish, later rusty-brown; pores fine – each tube is separate.
- Stem
- A short, lateral stem (2–4 cm) or none.
- Flesh
- Thick, juicy, flesh-red with marbled veins; exudes a blood-like juice when cut.
- Smell and taste
- Smell pleasant, fruity; taste sourish. Spore print white.
Where and when it grows
On roots, at the base of trunks, on stumps and fallen oaks (less often other broadleaf trees), singly or a few together; a weak parasite causing brown rot of the wood. Rare (Red List: R).
Most often with: oak
Foragers’ finds
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In the kitchen
Do not pick – a protected species. (Historically eaten young, after soaking and long cooking.)
Protection and sale
- Species protection: partially protected. Partial protection (Annex 2, item 38); it is not in Annex 3, so harvesting it is prohibited. Previously: 1995–2004 partial protection, 2004–2014 strict.
- Sale: the species is not on the list of mushrooms approved for sale.
Beefsteak fungus: common questions
Is the beefsteak fungus edible?
Edible. Edible (young, after soaking), but of low value – sour, astringent taste, requires long cooking. Protected in Poland – it must not be picked.
When does the beefsteak fungus grow?
In Poland the fruiting bodies usually appear in: July, August, September, October. Habitat: On roots, at the base of trunks, on stumps and fallen oaks (less often other broadleaf trees), singly or a few together; a weak parasite causing brown rot of the wood. Rare (Red List: R).
Is the beefsteak fungus a protected species?
Yes: partially protected (regulation on the species protection of fungi, Dz.U. 2014 poz. 1408). Partial protection (Annex 2, item 38); it is not in Annex 3, so harvesting it is prohibited. Previously: 1995–2004 partial protection, 2004–2014 strict.
Sources
- Wikipedia (pl): Ozorek dębowy
- grzyby.pl (atlas M. Snowarskiego): Fistulina hepatica
- First Nature: Fistulina hepatica
- Rozporządzenie Ministra Środowiska z dnia 9 października 2014 r. w sprawie ochrony gatunkowej grzybów (Dz.U. 2014 poz. 1408)
Last checked: 9 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Write to us.
