Laetiporus

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Chicken of the woods" redirects here. Not to be confused with
Hen-of-the-woods
.

Laetiporus
Laetiporus sulphureus in Belgium
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Fomitopsidaceae
Genus: Laetiporus
Murr.
(1904)
Type species
Laetiporus speciosus
Battarra ex Murrill (1904)

Laetiporus is a

chicken meat
.

Description

Laetiporus sp. from Anamalai Hills, Southern Western Ghats, India

Individual "shelves" range from 5 to 25 centimetres (2 to 10 inches) across. These shelves are made up of many tiny tubular filaments (hyphae). The mushroom grows in large

brackets
; some have been found that weigh over 45 kilograms (100 pounds).

Young fruiting bodies are characterized by a moist, rubbery, sulphur-yellow to orange body sometimes with bright orange tips. Older brackets become pale and brittle almost chalk-like, mildly pungent, and are often dotted with beetle or slug/woodlouse holes.

The name "chicken of the woods" is not to be confused with another edible polypore, Maitake (Grifola frondosa) known as "hen of the woods/rams head” or with Lyophyllum decastes, known as the "fried chicken mushroom".

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

L. cincinnatus, Ohio

Phylogenetic analyses of ITS, nuclear large subunit and mitochondrial small subunit rDNA sequences from a variety of North American species have delineated five distinct clades within the core Laetiporus clade:[1]

In addition, phylogenetic clades have been identified from Japan, Hawaii, South America, Europe, and South Africa.[2]

Species

Etymology

The name Laetiporus means "with bright pores".[5]

Distribution and habitat

The sulphur shelf mushroom is most commonly found on wounds of trees, mostly

parasitic
and produce brown rot in the host on which they grow.

It sometimes comes back year after year when the weather suits its sporulation preferences. From late spring to early autumn, the sulphur shelf thrives, making it a boon to mushroom hunters and a bane to those concerned about the health of their trees. This fungus causes a brown cubical rot and embrittlement which in later stages ends in the collapse of the host tree, as it can no longer flex and bend in the wind.[citation needed]

L. cincinnatus in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York in October 2012

Chicken of the woods is found growing on or at the base of dead or dying hardwood trees; most commonly on oak but also cherry or beech. It can also be found on dead conifer stumps. Chicken of the woods has been known to fruit on living trees as well. It typically grows from spring to early fall.

Uses

The mushroom can be prepared in most ways that one can prepare

vegetarian diet. Additionally, it can be frozen for long periods of time and retain its edibility. In certain parts of Germany and North America
, it is considered a delicacy.

L. sulphureus prepared dish

In some cases eating the mushroom "causes mild reactions ... for example, "swollen lips" or in rare cases "nausea, vomiting, dizziness and disorientation" to those who are sensitive.

which?
] request that those who eat Laetiporus exercise caution by only eating fresh, young brackets and begin with small quantities to see how well it sits in their stomach.

L. sulphureus has a potent ability to inhibit staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), as well as moderate ability to inhibit the growth of Bacillus subtilis.[7]

See also

References

  1. S2CID 25173644
    .
  2. S2CID 9711234
    .
  3. ^
    S2CID 22823127
    .
  4. doi:10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2016/0320
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-472-85610-7
    .
  6. ^ Michael W. Beug. "Poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms". Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved Feb 21, 2013.
  7. S2CID 23654559
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laetiporus&oldid=1216619035"