BASIDIOMYCETES: Aphyllophorales, Polyporaceae

Chicken Mushroom, Laetiporus sulphureus or Polyporus sulphureus

Basidiomycetes, order: Aphyllophorales, family: Polyporaceae

Width to 20"

The Chicken Mushroom forms semicircular or clamshell-shaped lobes with a wavy, furrowed margin. Surface is smooth, orange-red, turning pale yellow toward the edge. The spongy underside pore surface is sulfur yellow. There is no stalk; the cap attaches directly to tree trunks or rotting stumps, where it appears singly or in shelflike clusters. Spore print is white. The mushroom grows in deciduous or coniferous woodlands throughout North America during the summer and fall. It is edible and very good if cooked and is said to taste like chicken. Also known as Sulfur Shelf and Chicken of the Woods.