Chicken of the woods - Laetiporus sulphureus
- The Foraging Course Company
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn
Common names Chicken of the woods, sulphur shelf, sulphur polypore, crab of the woods
Scientific name meaning: Laetiporus comes from the Latin word Laetus, meaning gay, pleasing or abundant, and Porus, meaning pores. Sulphureus is a reference to the yellow colouring if the fruit bodies
Habitat  Growing both parasitically and saprobically on oak, sweet chestnut, cherry, willow, yew, ash, laburnum, and beech. |
Fruit body  Can reach over 50cm and often layered one on top of the other. The cap is yellow, pinkish or orange, often in bands, and with a wavy edge. It is often thick and fleshy. Its smell is mushroomy and pleasant. |
Pores, flesh and spores  The pore surface is white or pale yellow. The pores are too small to see with the naked eye when young, becoming whiter and more visible with age. The flesh is white and fibrous, resembling cooked chicken breast when torn. The spore colour is white. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with some specimens of giant polypore (Meripilus giganteus), which is edible, but this prefers beech and bruises brown to black. Small specimens may be confused with the cinnamon bracket (Hapalopilus rutlians), pictured, which is poisonous. However, this is only reaches a few centimetres and is much tougher. It ages cinnamon brown. |
Use as a food Chicken of the woods has a rich poultry-like flavour and texture. It is very similar in taste and texture to chicken and can be used as a substitute for it.
Only young, fresh specimens should be used for eating. Older specimens are tough and acidic Hazards This mushroom causes gastric upset and nausea in some people. A tolerance test should be carried out before consuming for the first time.
Because Chicken of the woods can grow close to the ground, care should be taken not to harvest in areas where dogs may foul.
If found on yew or laburnum, be aware that this mushroom can engulf the poisonous leaves and bark quite readily. Although there is no evidence that chicken of the woods takes up toxins from any tree, we are not currently aware of any scientific proof that it does not. Please let us know if you know of any
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Some haemolytic and haemagglutination activity has been seen
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known at time of writing Importance to other species Provides food for invertebrates
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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