Chicken of the woods Laetiporus sulphureus
This edible bracket fungus has a fan shape with rounded, velvety edges and is a deep orangey-yellow colour. This fungus has its name due to the texture and taste resembling that of chicken
Conservation status in Norfolk
Not threatened. A widespread species.
How to help
Please do not pick the fruiting bodies. These need to be allowed to produce and release their spores for reproduction.
Tony leech
Information on the Chicken of the woods
How to recognise
Chicken-of-the-woods is a bracket fungus that usually grows in tiers of up to twenty brackets. It has a fan shape with rounded edges that become more in-curved as it gets older. The colour is a deep orangey-yellow to lemon on top with sulphur yellow undersides when the fungus is young fading to pale yellow or white as it ages. The bracket edge feels like velvet or suede and the pores of fresh brackets give off pale-yellow watery droplets.
Where to see
Chicken-of-the-woods may be found in broadleaved woods where it grows on dead and living trees. Its hosts are usually oaks and sweet chestnuts but it can turn up on willows, yews and fruit trees such as pear and cherry. Good places to find chicken-of-the-woods are Swanton Great Wood and the woods and parkland of the National Trust's Blickling Hall.
When to see
May to September, although it can appear as early as April if the winter has been mild.
Did you know?
As its name suggests, chicken-of-the-woods has the texture and flavour of chicken. It is one of the few edible bracket fungi and is eagerly looked for on mushroom forays. You can now buy chicken-of-the-woods kits which allow you to grow them in your garden. However, be warned, this species causes gastric upsets in some people, so if you have not eaten it before its best to try only a little to begin with. Remember never eat any fungi taken from the wild unless you are absolutely certain you have correctly identified the species.
Related questions
There are no questions regarding this species, perhaps you should ask us one?