White-Pored Chicken of the Woods

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White-Pored Chicken of the Woods is an uncommon or rare, large, fleshy, bracket (shelf-like) fungus. It appears from July through October on the ground at the base of a hardwood tree, almost always an oak. It is both saprobic and parasitic. It invades the roots of live or dead trees causing brown rot.

It is found on the ground at the base of standing, living or dead oaks, rarely on other hardwoods, never on conifers. It sometimes appears on the ground at some distance from a tree, but is actually growing on burried tree roots. It usually forms a rosette of several to many overlapping caps, sometimes appears singly, rarely appears as a series of shelves at the base of a tree.

The fruiting body is annual. There is no stem. When it first appears in late summer or fall it is knob-like, but it soon becomes shelf-like. It consists of an overlapping rosette of several to many brackets. The rosette can be up to 24″ wide but is usually 18″ wide or less.

Each bracket is fan-shaped to semicircular in outline, sometimes irregularly lobed, more or less flat, 2″ to 6″ wide, and up to 8″ deep. The surface is smooth to suede-like and radially wrinkled. On younger brackets the upper side is bright reddish-orange to bright orange, yellowish-orange, or salmon. There are often concentric bands of contrasting colors. It fades in sunlight or with age to yellowish or buff. Older brackets are whitish. The margin on younger brackets is thick, blunt, and pale.

The flesh of young brackets is thick, soft, watery, and white. As it ages the flesh becomes tough then crumbly.

The pore tubes on the underside of the bracket are yellow and up to 3 ⁄16″ deep. There are 2 to 4 pores per millimeter. The spores are white.

All parts of the bracket are edible when cooked.

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) grows on stumps, logs, and the sides of injured trees. It does not grow on the ground.

Oaks. Sometimes other hardwoods.

July through October

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

Uncommon or rare

Family
The genus Laetiporus was formerly placed in the family Polyporaceae. Several DNA studies of fungi in the order Polyporales since 2005 have resulted in the reordering of the families within the order. There is no current consensus. The genus Laetiporus is variously placed in the families Polyporaceae, Laetiporaceae, and Fomitopsidaceae. Most agree that it should be separated from the order Polyporaceae.

Species
In 1998, a study (Banik, Mark T., Harold H. Burdsall, Jr. and Thomas J. Volk. 1998) showed Laetiporus sulphureus to be a species complex and split it into five species. The new Laetiporus sulphureus, the “true” Chicken of the Woods, is the species that has yellow pores; grows on the butt of a standing tree or on downed logs; is usually overlapping shelves but may be a rosette on the top side of a downed log; occurs east of the Great Plains; and is always on hardwoods, usually on oak.

Mushrooms found in yard

I am trying to identify what is growing in my yard. It’s in the middle of the grass but almost looks like chicken of the woods.

… found in my yard near the base of an oak tree

grows in the same spot every year

Share your video of this mammal.

Location: St. Paul, MN

Location: New Hope Mn.

I am trying to identify what is growing in my yard. It’s in the middle of the grass but almost looks like chicken of the woods.

Location: Freeborn County

… found in my yard near the base of an oak tree

Location: Andover, MN 55304

Attaching pictures from different angles. This one was found at the base of a red oak.

Location: Benton County

grows in the same spot every year

Location: Just South of Albert Lea

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus presumably since it's a rosette on the ground)