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Orange and cream chicken of the woods shelves growing from a fallen hardwood log
Choice ediblebeginner-friendly group

Chicken of the Woods

Laetiporus sulphureus / Sulphur polypore

Bright orange and yellow shelves on wood, with a sulfur-yellow pore surface and no gills.

Photo: Public domain, CC0
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Identification warning

Regional Laetiporus species and host trees matter. Cook thoroughly and try only a small portion because gastrointestinal reactions occur.

Season
Late spring through fall
Habitat
Living or dead hardwood trunks, stumps, and buried roots
Underside
Sulfur-yellow pores, never gills
Spore evidence
White

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
44,760
People who recorded it
25,435
Most records (northern hemisphere)
May, Aug–Sep
Records span
1970–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

Choose the hemisphere you want to study. Country detection is approximate and some countries span the equator.

Compare before concluding

Lookalikes to rule out

Jack-o'-lanterns have true blade-like gills and separate stems; chicken of the woods has a pore surface and grows as shelves.

Berkeley's Polypore

caution

Bondarzewia berkeleyi forms a pale tan ground-level rosette rather than vivid orange and yellow shelves.

Black-staining Polypore

caution

Meripilus fronds are gray-brown and bruise black, especially along handled edges.

Identification

Look for overlapping, fan-shaped shelves colored orange above and yellow to cream at the margin. The underside is covered in tiny pores, not gills. Young flesh is thick, moist, and tender; old shelves become pale, crumbly, and tough. Laetiporus sulphureus usually fruits directly from hardwood in Europe and eastern North America.

The common name covers several regional species. L. cincinnatus often forms a ground-level rosette from buried oak roots and has a white pore surface, while western conifer-associated species have their own names and risk discussions. Record the host tree and attachment point.

Uses and ecology

Young, positively identified material is widely cooked as food. It must never be eaten raw, and a small first serving is prudent because nausea and other gastrointestinal reactions are reported. Host association, undercooking, age, and individual sensitivity have all been proposed as factors, but no single rule eliminates the risk.

These fungi decompose heartwood and can fruit from a tree whose internal wood is already extensively decayed.

Memorable fact

A flush can reappear from the same infected tree for years even when little decay is visible outside.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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