''Laetiporus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially ''
Laetiporus sulphureus
''Laetiporus sulphureus'' is a species of bracket fungus (fungi that grow on trees) found in Europe and North America. Its common names are crab-of-the-woods, sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken-of-the-woods. Its fruit bodies grow as ...
'', 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 polyp ...
, ''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'', known as the "fried chicken mushroom". The name ''Laetiporus'' means "with bright pores".
Description
![Chicken of the woods Fungus JEG7298 Jegan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Chicken_of_the_woods_Fungus_JEG7298_Jegan.JPG)
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 ' ...
– 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 e ...
,
yew,
sweet chestnut
''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...
, 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 so ...
, as well as
conifers in some species. ''Laetiporus'' species are
parasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
and produce brown rot in the host on which they grow.
Young fruiting bodies are characterized by a moist, rubbery,
sulphur-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 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 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, ...
within the core ''Laetiporus'' clade:
*Conifericola clade: contains species that live on conifers, such as '' L. conifericola'' and '' L. huroniensis''. All of the other tested species grow on angiosperms.
*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, 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 state ...
, 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 sout ...
, 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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
.[
]
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, it is considered a delicacy.
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''), as well as moderate ability to inhibit the growth of '']Bacillus subtilis
''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacillus ...
''.
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'' (Berk.) Rajchenb. (1995)
*'' Laetiporus squalidus'' R.M.Pires, Motato-Vásq. & Gugliotta (2016)
*''Laetiporus sulphureus
''Laetiporus sulphureus'' is a species of bracket fungus (fungi that grow on trees) found in Europe and North America. Its common names are crab-of-the-woods, sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken-of-the-woods. Its fruit bodies grow as ...
'' (Bull.) Murrill (1920)
*'' Laetiporus versisporus'' (Lloyd) Imazeki (1943)
*'' Laetiporus zonatus''[ B.K.Cui & J.Song (2014)
]
See also
* List of meat substitutes
This is a list of meat substitutes. A meat substitute, also called a meat analogue, approximates certain aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) or chemical characteristics of a specific meat. Substitutes are often based ...
References
External links
*
Mushroom-Collecting.com - ''Laetiporus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11158661
Wood-decay fungi
Edible fungi
Meat substitutes
Polyporales genera
Taxa named by William Alphonso Murrill
Taxa described in 1904