No blog on trees and forests would be complete without a post on Chicken of the Woods. These are brilliant orange colored fungi that appear in spring and fall. This post is specifically about the species Laetiporus cincinnatus.

Technical Species Information - Laetiporus cincinnatus

Laetiporus is a genus of soft-fleshed polypores. You are probably thinking, what is a polypore? They are a group of lots of varied mushrooms. Most importantly, they are wood decomposers. Consequently, if you find one of these at or around the base of a tree, it is not a good sign. Back to the scientific information. Two common species of Laetiporus are cincinnatus and sulphureus. The ones in these photos are Laetiporus cincinnatus. This species is easily distinguished from the other because of its white pore color. Pores are the underside of the visible fungi.

Where to find Chicken of the Woods

Chicken of the woods is usually found in North America. They grow on dead conifers or hardwoods in one of two places. First, cincinnatus is a “butt rot” species. Therefore, they grow at the base of a tree, or not far from the base on a root. Second, most of the other laetiporus species are “heart rot” species. As a result, they grow on the trunks of trees, usually well above the ground.

Where they grow determines how they grow. Laetiporus cincinnatus grows at the base or on a root. As a result, it grows as a rosette of individual caps. Other laetiporus species grow on vertical surfaces therefore they grow as layers of shelves.

References:

First read Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for July 2001. It's an old article, however some things don't change.

Second the Mushroom Expert is always a good resource.