''Laetiporus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

edible mushroom Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi (fungi which bear fruiting structures that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye). They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground ...

s found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially '' Laetiporus sulphureus'', are commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because it is often described as tasting like and having a texture similar to that of chicken meat. The name "chicken of the woods" is not to be confused with another edible

polypore Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside (see Delimitation for exceptions). They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypor ...

, ''Maitake'' (''

Grifola frondosa ''Grifola frondosa'' (also known as hen-of-the-woods, in Japanese, ram's head or sheep's head) is a polypore mushroom that grows at the base of trees, particularly old growth oaks or maples. It is typically found in late summer to early aut ...

'') known as "hen of the woods/rams head” or with ''

Lyophyllum decastes ''Lyophyllum decastes'', commonly known as the fried chicken mushroom, or chicken of the gravel, is an edible species of fungus in the family Lyophyllaceae that grows in clusters on disturbed ground, often near man-made roads in gravel, with a f ...

'', known as the "fried chicken mushroom". The name ''Laetiporus'' means "with bright pores".

Description

Chicken of the woods Fungus JEG7298 Jegan

Individual "shelves" range from across. These shelves are made up of many tiny tubular filaments (hyphae). The mushroom grows in large

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

– some have been found that weigh over 45 kg (100 pounds). It is most commonly found on wounds of trees, mostly

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

, though it is also frequently found on

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

, sweet chestnut, and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

, as well as

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s in some species. ''Laetiporus'' species are parasitic and produce brown rot in the host on which they grow. Young fruiting bodies are characterized by a moist, rubbery,

sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

-yellow to orange body sometimes with bright orange tips. Older brackets become pale and brittle almost chalk-like, mildly pungent, and are often dotted with beetle or slug/woodlouse holes. Similar species include ''Laetiporus gilbertsonii'' (fluorescent pink, more amorphous) and ''L. coniferica'' (common in the western United States, especially on red

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

trees). Edibility traits for the different species have not been well documented, although all are generally considered edible with caution. The sulphur shelf mushroom sometimes comes back year after year when the weather suits its sporulation preferences. From late spring to early autumn, the sulphur shelf thrives, making it a boon to mushroom hunters and a bane to those concerned about the health of their trees. This fungus causes a brown cubical rot and embrittlement which in later stages ends in the collapse of the host tree, as it can no longer flex and bend in the wind. Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus

Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus

Chicken of the woods is found growing on or at the base of dead or dying hardwood trees; most commonly on oak but also cherry or beech. It can also be found on dead conifer stumps. Chicken of the woods has been known to fruit on living trees as well. It typically grows from spring to early fall.

Phylogenetics

Phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

analyses of ITS, nuclear large subunit and mitochondrial small subunit rDNA sequences from a variety of North American species have delineated five distinct

clades A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, t ...

within the core ''Laetiporus'' clade: *Conifericola clade: contains species that live on

s, such as '' L. conifericola'' and '' L. huroniensis''. All of the other tested species grow on

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s. *Cincinnatus clade: contains '' L. cincinnatus'' *Sulphureus clade I: contains white-pored '' L. sulphureus'' isolates. *Sulphureus clade II: contains yellow-pored ''L. sulphureus'' isolates. *Gilbertsonii clade: contains '' L. gilbertsonii'' and unidentified Caribbean isolates. In addition, phylogenetic clades have been identified from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Edibility

The mushroom can be prepared in most ways that one can prepare chicken meat. It can also be used as a substitute for chicken in a vegetarian diet. Additionally, it can be frozen for long periods of time and retain its edibility. In certain parts of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, it is considered a delicacy. Laetiporus sulphureus dish 2010 G1

In some cases eating the mushroom "causes mild reactions ... for example, "swollen lips" or in rare cases "nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation" to those who are sensitive. This is believed to be due to a number of factors that include allergies to the mushroom's protein or toxins which are only somewhat stable at high temperatures. As such, many field guides request that those who eat ''Laetiporus'' exercise caution by only eating fresh, young brackets and begin with small quantities to see how well it sits in their stomach. ''Laetiporus sulphureus'' has a potent ability to inhibit staph bacteria (''

Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often positive ...

''), as well as moderate ability to inhibit the growth of '' Bacillus subtilis''.

Species

*'' Laetiporus ailaoshanensis'' B.K.Cui & J.Song (2014) *'' Laetiporus baudonii'' (Pat.) Ryvarden (1991) *'' Laetiporus caribensis'' Banik & D.L.Lindner (2012) *''

Laetiporus cincinnatus ''Laetiporus'' is a genus of edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially ''Laetiporus sulphureus'', are commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because ...

'' (Morgan) Burds., Banik & T.J.Volk (1998) *''

Laetiporus conifericola ''Laetiporus conifericola'' is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is found in western North America ranging from California to Alaska, where it grows as a plant pathogen on conifer trees, particularly fir, spruce, ...

'' Burds. & Banik (2001) *'' Laetiporus cremeiporus'' Y.Ota & T.Hatt. (2010) *'' Laetiporus discolor'' (Klotzsch) Corner (1984) *'' Laetiporus flos-musae'' Overeem (1927) *''

Laetiporus gilbertsonii ''Laetiporus gilbertsonii'' is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is found in western North America. It was one of three new ''Laetiporus'' species published in 2001, which were distinguished genetically from the comm ...

'' Burds. (2001) *''

Laetiporus huroniensis ''Laetiporus huroniensis'' is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is found in the Great Lakes region of eastern North America, where it fruits on large logs in old growth conifer forests. The type collection, made in O ...

'' Burds. & Banik (2001) *'' Laetiporus miniatus'' (P.Karst.) Overeem (1925) *'' Laetiporus montanus'' Černý ex Tomšovský & Jankovský (2009) *'' Laetiporus persicinus'' (Berk. & M.A.Curtis) Gilb. (1981) *''

Laetiporus portentosus ''Laetiporus portentosus'' is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is found in South America, Australia, and New Zealand. It has been used traditionally as a tinder and to carry fire by Australian Aboriginals, and by New ...

'' (Berk.) Rajchenb. (1995) *'' Laetiporus squalidus'' R.M.Pires, Motato-Vásq. & Gugliotta (2016) *'' Laetiporus sulphureus'' (Bull.) Murrill (1920) *'' Laetiporus versisporus'' (Lloyd) Imazeki (1943) *''

Laetiporus zonatus ''Laetiporus zonatus'' is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is found in southwestern China, where it grows on oak. The species was described as new to science in 2014 by Baokai Cui and Jie Song. The specific epithet ...

'' B.K.Cui & J.Song (2014)

References

External links