Adult fruit bodies are initially cylindrical, maturing to trumpet- or vase-shaped and reaching up to 30 cm (12 in) high and up to 30 cm (12 in) across.
There is no clear demarcation between the cap and stipe.
The stipe can be up to 15 cm (6 in) tall and 6 cm (2.4 in) wide, though it tapers to a narrower base.
It is solid in younger specimens, though is often hollowed out by insect larvae in older.
At higher elevations, two or three fruit bodies may arise from one stipe.
Colored various shades of reddish- to yellowish-orange, the cap surface is broken into scales, with the spaces between more yellow and the scales themselves more orange.
The most colorful specimens occur in warm humid weather.
Older specimens are often paler.

The white flesh is fibrous and thick, though thins with age.
Somewhat brittle, it can sometimes turn brown when cut or bruised.
The smell has been reported as indistinct or "earthy and sweet", and the taste "sweet and sour".
The spore-bearing undersurface is irregularly folded, forked or ridged rather than gilled and is pale buff or yellowish to whitish in color.
These ridges are up to 4 mm (¹⁄₈ in) high, and are decurrent—they extend below and run down the cap's attachment to the stipe, though irregularly so.
The spore print is brownish, the spores ellipsoid with dimensions of 12.4–16.8 × 5.8–7.3 μm.
The spore surface is roughened with ornamentations that can be made visible under the microscope by staining with methyl blue.

The fruit bodies can last for some considerable time, growing slowly over a month.
Mushrooms in subalpine and alpine areas are typically heavy-set with a short stipe, their growth slower in the cold climate.
This latter form is seen at lower altitudes in colder seasons.
Smith gave this the name forma rainierensis.
Conversely, mushrooms at low altitudes, such as in the redwood forests, can grow and expand rapidly with large caps that have prominent scales.
Smith described a paler form with a solid stipe from the Sierra Nevada as forma wilsonii.
American mycologist R. H. Petersen described an olive-capped form that is otherwise identical to the typical form.
These forms are not recognised as distinct.
Adult fruit bodies are initially cylindrical, maturing to trumpet- or vase-shaped and reaching up to 30 cm (12 in) high and up to 30 cm (12 in) across. There is no clear demarcation between the cap and stipe. The stipe can be up to 15 cm (6 in) tall and 6 cm (2.4 in) wide, though it tapers to a narrower base. It is solid in younger specimens, though is often hollowed out by insect larvae in older. At higher elevations, two or three fruit bodies may arise from one stipe. Colored various shades of reddish- to yellowish-orange, the cap surface is broken into scales, with the spaces between more yellow and the scales themselves more orange. The most colorful specimens occur in warm humid weather. Older specimens are often paler.
The white flesh is fibrous and thick, though thins with age. Somewhat brittle, it can sometimes turn brown when cut or bruised. The smell has been reported as indistinct or "earthy and sweet", and the taste "sweet and sour". The spore-bearing undersurface is irregularly folded, forked or ridged rather than gilled and is pale buff or yellowish to whitish in color. These ridges are up to 4 mm (¹⁄₈ in) high, and are decurrent—they extend below and run down the cap's attachment to the stipe, though irregularly so. The spore print is brownish, the spores ellipsoid with dimensions of 12.4–16.8 × 5.8–7.3 μm. The spore surface is roughened with ornamentations that can be made visible under the microscope by staining with methyl blue.
The fruit bodies can last for some considerable time, growing slowly over a month. Mushrooms in subalpine and alpine areas are typically heavy-set with a short stipe, their growth slower in the cold climate. This latter form is seen at lower altitudes in colder seasons. Smith gave this the name forma rainierensis. Conversely, mushrooms at low altitudes, such as in the redwood forests, can grow and expand rapidly with large caps that have prominent scales. Smith described a paler form with a solid stipe from the Sierra Nevada as forma wilsonii. American mycologist R. H. Petersen described an olive-capped form that is otherwise identical to the typical form. These forms are not recognised as distinct.
Turbinellus floccosus