Summary:
Lentinus strigosus is characterized by 1) a hairy, reddish brown or pinkish brown cap that is often violet when fresh and wet, 2) tough texture, 3) a short stem that is lateral to off-center or sometimes central, 4) growth in groups on rotting hardwood, and 5) a white to yellowish spore deposit. The online Species Fungorum, accessed on April 3, 2016 and July 16, 2019, gave the current name as Panus neostrigosus, but MycoBank, accessed on the same dates, maintained the current name as Lentinus strigosus. The description is derived from Arora(1) except where noted.

Cap:
2.5-10cm, "fan-shaped or wedge-shaped to somewhat irregular in outline", convex becoming flat or depressed, "margin incurved, often lobed"; reddish brown to tan, but often violet when fresh and wet; "dry, covered with dense, coarse, stiff, velvety hairs", (Arora), pinkish tan to reddish brown, or with violet tinge, tan when old, (Lincoff), "often purple at first, but soon fades to reddish brown, pinkish brown, orangish brown, or tan", (Trudell)

Flesh:
tough, thin; white

Gills:
"decurrent, close, narrow"; white, creamy or cap-colored; edges entire

Stem:
a short, stout plug of tissue up to 2cm long, "off-center to lateral or sometimes central", tough, solid, hairy like cap and more or less same color

Veil:
partial veil absent (Miller)

Odor:
none (Miller)

Taste:
slightly bitter

Microscopic spores:
spores 5-7 x 2-3 microns, elliptic, smooth, inamyloid, (Arora), spores 4.5-7.0 x 2.5-3.0 microns, short-elliptic, smooth, inamyloid, thin-walled; pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia clavate, thick-walled, (Miller)

Spore deposit:
white or yellowish

Notes:
It is widely distributed in North America (Lincoff). There are collections from BC, AB, and SK at the University of British Columbia. There are collections from WA, ID, IL, LA, MI, and MT at the University of Washington. There are collections from ON, IN, OH, and MO at Oregon State University. It has been reported from CA (Arora(1)).

EDIBILITY

edible but hairy (Arora), edible when young but very tough when mature (Miller)

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Panus rudis Fr.