Scientific name
Laetiporus sulphureus
Description
The fruiting body, which begins as a knob-shaped projection from the tree’s trunk, rapidly develops into a fan-shaped shelf and often grows in overlapping layers. Its coloration ranges from brilliant orange to sulphur yellow, and its texture is suede-like. Old fruit bodies get brown or white with time. Each shelf may range in size between 5 to 60 cm in width and about 4 cm in thickness. It is also known as sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and crab of the woods.
Habitat
Chicken of the Woods is dispersed over North America and Europe, yet it may only be found in regions east of the Rockies. It has been observed on a very wide range of host trees, including Quercus, Pyrus, Prunus, Salix, Robinia, Populus, and Fagus, as well as on dead or old hardwoods. It can be found from August to October or afterward, and even as early as June. This species is often observed on Eucalyptus and Ceratonia in the Mediterranean area. The majority of the time, it grows in clumps.
Uses/Importance
Some people claim that it tastes like chicken, has a similar texture, and works well in soups as a vegetarian “meat.” It is best consumed when young since older specimens develop a woody and bitter flavor. It has to be cooked before eating. When trying this mushroom for the first time, only a tiny amount should be consumed because some individuals might have an allergic response. Even though the chicken of the wood mushroom is edible, everyone doesn’t like it. Dizziness and stomach distress have also been linked to it. When found blooming on a toxic tree, such as yew, it is unfit for human consumption.
In the roots, tree base, and stem, the mushroom results in brown cubical rot of the heartwood. The wood gets yellowish to reddish after infection, then becomes reddish-brown and becomes fragile. When rot is at its most advanced level, the wood may be rubbed between the fingers like powder.
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