Pale chicken of the woods

Identity and naming

Laetiporus cincinnatus is a bracket fungus, or polypore, of the genus Laetiporus. The Missouri Department of Conservation gives its scientific name as Laetiporus cincinnatus and calls it the white-pored chicken of the woods. The catalogue's common name for it is pale chicken of the woods.

The species is distinguished from the sulfur-coloured chicken of the woods, Laetiporus sulphureus, by its underside: the pores of this species are white, not bright yellow.

Ecology and habitat

The fungus grows on dead or dying deciduous trees, especially oaks, and the catalogue records hardwood roots, bases and wood as its substrate. It fruits from May to November, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The catalogue records the supply as wild.

Food use

The Missouri Department of Conservation calls the species a choice edible and says it can take the place of chicken in dishes such as casseroles. The catalogue records young fruiting bodies used as food. Its only cooking guidance on the same page is to cook it well.

The page does not give a method for young specimens specifically, a storage method or a quantity. The page's guidance to cook the fungus thoroughly is recorded here as the only preparation advice read for this record.

Safety and identification

Safety wording: this page describes what the sources record. It is not an identification guide and it gives no verdict that this fungus is safe to eat. The Missouri source reports that some people get stomach upset or swollen lips after eating it, and advises starting with a small amount. The catalogue records gastrointestinal or other adverse reactions even to correctly identified specimens.

The main look-alike named in the source is the sulfur-coloured chicken of the woods, which is told apart by its bright yellow underside. Specimens should be checked by a qualified expert before anyone eats them, and the risk of reaction applies even when the identification is right.