{"id":15418,"date":"2020-06-01T17:41:56","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T16:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/?p=15418"},"modified":"2023-08-22T11:41:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T10:41:28","slug":"identify-chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2020\/06\/01\/identify-chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicken of the Woods Mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><\/em><\/p>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chicken Of The Woods \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Edible<\/h2>\r\n<h2>\r\n\r\n<\/h2>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-15418 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2020\/06\/01\/identify-chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom\/400px-hortus_haren_18-05-2019-_actm-_04-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/400px-Hortus_Haren_18-05-2019._actm._04-1-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/400px-Hortus_Haren_18-05-2019._actm._04-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/400px-Hortus_Haren_18-05-2019._actm._04-1-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/400px-Hortus_Haren_18-05-2019._actm._04-1.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2021\/04\/15\/identify-wild-carrot\/chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-300x300.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-450x450.png 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2023\/01\/12\/foraging-in-june\/20220526_173126\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/20220526_173126-scaled-e1673281676997-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-65649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/20220526_173126-scaled-e1673281676997-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/20220526_173126-scaled-e1673281676997-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/20220526_173126-scaled-e1673281676997.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-65649'>\n\t\t\t\tChicken of the woods-found in derbyshire in june-forager fez\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2023\/01\/12\/foraging-in-june\/chicken\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258-243x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-65648\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258-243x300.jpg 243w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258-121x150.jpg 121w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258.jpg 485w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-65648'>\n\t\t\t\tChicken of the woods, nice shot of a large bracket-forager james\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-jpg\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-300x169.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-900x507.jpg 900w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4502'>\n\t\t\t\tChicken of the Woods\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Welcome to the fascinating world of the Chicken of the Woods mushroom, a highly sought-after and delectable edible fungus that has captivated foragers and mycophiles alike. This striking mushroom is known for its vibrant coloration and unique texture, which has earned it a place among the most popular and recognizable wild mushrooms.<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Common Names<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Chicken of the woods, sulphur polypore, giant canary fan<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2><strong>Botanical Name<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Laetiporus sulphureus<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Meaning of Botanical Name<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Latiporus is derived from the Latin words Laet, meaning bright or pleasing and Por meaning pores. Sulphureus relates to the bright sulphur colour. Translating to bright and pleasing pores of a sulphur colour.<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Family<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Polyporaceae<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><br \/><strong>Known Hazards<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>People react to this fungi differently, it\u2019s said that 1in10 people have adverse reactions to this fungus, usually just an upset stomach, but if vast amounts are eaten by this minority it can develop into vomiting and hallucinations have been recorded in the past. If you\u2019re happy eating mushrooms normally you should be fine but it\u2019s worth trying a little to start with before moving on to eating large amounts of this.<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Could be confused with<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2022\/02\/10\/dyers-mazegill-phaeolus-schweinitzii-identification\/\">Dyer&#8217;s maze gill (Phalous Schweinitzii)<\/a>, which surface is a lot rougher, chicken of the woods has a velvet surface and typically grows higher up on oak trees.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2020\/08\/03\/1-giant-polypore-mushroom\/\">Giant Polypore (Meripilus Giganteus)<\/a>, this fungus is typically found at the base of trees whereas chicken of the woods is found higher up trees, giant polypore also discolours black on contact which chicken of the woods doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Food of<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>A range of insects can be found hiding in the folds of this fungi, as well as spiders that eat these insects, deer are also recorded to eat this fungus as and when it grows low enough for them to collect.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Range and Distribution<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Found all over Europe, UK, northern America and Northern Asia, although variations of this fungi can be found throughout the globe.<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Habitat<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Nearly always found growing in association with hardwood, specifically oak, although it also grows on cherry, beech and other hardwoods.<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>Foraging Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms Video<\/h2>\r\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chicken of the Woods - Foraging Mushrooms UK (Laetiporus sulphureus)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WImke5uz4KQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Physical Characteristics of Chicken of the Woods<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Chicken of the woods typically grows on decaying trees (although the signs of decay aren\u2019t always evident) and can be found growing quite high up the tree. It grows off the wood like a shelf.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The bright orange fruit body becomes paler towards its edges, up to 40cm+ across and is irregularly semi-circular, it comprises a number of thick overlapping brackets sprouting from one joined spot, it\u2019s rather shaggy and velvety.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The underside is yellow with circular or oval pores.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>On breaking this fungus it appears to have the texture and consistency and look of chicken, when young it will ooze liquid on squeezing and when old it will crumble.<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-24236\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-450x450.png 450w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom-shot-full-e1518703484690.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_65648\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65648\" style=\"width: 243px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-65648\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258-243x300.jpg 243w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258-121x150.jpg 121w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chicken-e1673281487258.jpg 485w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65648\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chicken of the woods, nice shot of a large bracket-forager james<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Edible Use:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p><strong>Young<\/strong>: Pies, Fried with bacon, as a substitute to chicken, to make vegan roast dinner, barbequed roasted, stuffed<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Old<\/strong>: dried and powdered for flavourings and stocks, in a pate<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Herbal<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>This fungus is a natural antibiotic and a weak disinfectant, as a whole it\u2019s good at regulating health within the human body, improving and defending our bodies against illness. This may be down to Eburicoic acid produced by the sporophore which may be used to synthesize the steroids that play an important role in human health.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>It\u2019s noted that old dry specimens of this fungi can be burnt to drive off mosquitos, I tried this on a fire in our woods and it produced a lot of smoke but seemed to work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Parts for Dyeing<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>A light yellow dye can be extracted from this fungus, with no mordant needed, this yellow takes well on chalk into a dried pigment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Suitability for Paper Making<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>I always had the idea that this fungus would make a good paper, but surprisingly it makes an incredibly weak paper. So you can make paper with it, but don\u2019t expect it to last very long or have many applications.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Tips and Observations<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>When this fungus grows high up in the trees I find it easiest to knock it off by holding a large stick and prodding around the fungi\u2019s base until it drops and smashes in a great bloom of chicken of the woods.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>If you have this fungus in vast amounts and don\u2019t manage to eat it all or give enough away before it dries out, do not fret, you can also powder the dried mushroom and use it along with flour in baking bread, it can also be used with salt and pepper as a seasoning.<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>References<\/h2>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/diet\/benefits-of-chicken-of-the-woods\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More on the medicinal properties of chicken of the woods<\/a><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicken Of The Woods \/ Summer \/ Autumn \/ Edible Welcome to the fascinating world of the Chicken of the Woods mushroom, a highly sought-after and delectable edible fungus that has captivated foragers and mycophiles alike. This striking mushroom is known for its vibrant coloration and unique texture, which has&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26662,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[114,1778,1780,88,1777],"tags":[239,198,152,1760,113,104,238],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15418"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15418"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83302,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15418\/revisions\/83302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}