Once those early fall rains occur the various fungi begin to respond at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. With numerous species of fungi found on the Center's 5358 acres, some are rather showy and others rather small, drab and un-noticeable. The Sulfur Shelf fungi, or commonly called the Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), happens to be one of the most conspicuous and showy of all.
The fruiting body is in a shelf-like or rosette form and "clumps" can be in excess of 100 lbs in weight. Each cap or shelf can be 2 to 10 inches across and are made up of many tiny tubular filaments called hyphae. In the North Coast region it is most commonly found on old scars or wounds on trees, especially oaks. The sulfur shelf mushroom many times will come back year after year at the some location when the weather favors its sporulation preferences.
The young fresh fruiting bodies, which are characterized by a moist, pliable, sulfur-yellow to orange body, are considered to be edible. The common name "Chicken of the Woods" came to be because many folks akin the taste to that of chicken. Here you see a large specimen growing on a black oak tree near headquarters.
