Laetiporus sulphureus
Laetiporus sulphureus Bull.) Murrill
Index Fungorum number: 299348
Laetiporus sulphureus is a species of bracket fungus that appears either individually or, more commonly, as large sporocarps. It is semicircular to fanshaped, applanate and up to 20 cm. Its fruit bodies grow as striking golden-yellow shelf-like structures on tree trunks and branches. Like other bracket fungi, they may last many years and fade to pale grey or brown. The undersurface of the fruit body is made up of tube-like pores rather than gills. Microscopically this species could be recognized from ellipsoid to ovoid, hyaline, smooth basidiospores, dimitic hyphal system and orange to sulphur-yellow pore surface when fresh. Laetiporus sulphureus is a saprophyte and causes brown cubical rot in the heartwood of the trees on which it grows. Unlike many bracket fungi, it is edible when young. (Fig. 1)
Common names: Sulphur polypore, Sulphur shelf, Chicken mushroom, Chicken of the woods (English) and Mushroom yellow chicken and Hed hing see luang neur kai (Thailand and Laos).
Use: Sporocarp is used for culinary purposes and it has a long history of human consumption,
especially in North America, but has to be cooked well and long.
Time of fruiting: Grows widely on decaying wood and living trees throughout the rainy season.
Habitat: Single to overlapping cluster on brown stumps, trunks and logs of deciduous trees.
Distribution: This species has been found in North America, Europe, and East Asia including Thailand, Laos and China.
Fig. 1 The basidiomata of Laetiporus sulphureus in the field.
Reference
Mortimer P. E., X J., Karunarathna S. C. & Hyde K. D. 2014–Mushrooms for trees and people: a field guide to useful mushrooms of the Mekong region. Kunming: The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).
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