Stats

Lifespan

A few years

Size

Large

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

A vivid orange-and-yellow bracket fungus that erupts in overlapping shelves from oaks and eucalyptus across western North America. Its white pore surface and firm, chicken-textured flesh make it one of the most sought-after edible wild mushrooms — its other name is simply "chicken of the woods."

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Polyporales

Family

Laetiporaceae

Genus

Laetiporus

Species

Laetiporus gilbertsonii