The Fungi World (195) : Chicken of the Woods

The Fungi World (195) : Chicken of the Woods

The shape in which this fungus has grown, looks a bit like the skull of a prehistoric dinosaur. Fascinating, isn't it ?

Chicken of the Woods is most commonly growing on wounds of trees (mostly oak).
It produces however heavy red-brown rot in the host on which it grows and this nearly always ends in the collapse of the host tree as it can no longer flex and bend in the wind.

It can be prepared in most ways that one can prepare chicken meat and can also be used as a substitute for chicken in a vegetarian diet (hence its English name).

Dutch name : Zwavelzwam
German name : Schwefelporling
Latin name : Laetiporus sulphureus