Appearance
The fruiting body emerges directly from the trunk of a tree and is initially knob-shaped, but soon expands to fan-shaped shelves, typically growing in overlapping tiers. It is sulphur-yellow to bright orange in color and has a suedelike texture. Old fruitbodies fade to tan or whitish. Each shelf may be anywhere from 5 to 60 centimetres across and up to 4 cm thick. The fertile surface is sulphur-yellow with small pores or tubes and produces a white spore print. When fresh, the flesh is succulent with a strong fungal aroma and exudes a yellowish, transparent juice, but soon becomes dry and brittle.Naming
Its common names are crab-of-the-woods, sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken-of-the-woods.Distribution
"Laetiporus sulphureus" is widely distributed across Europe and North America, although its range may be restricted to areas east of the Rockies. It grows on dead or mature hardwoods and has been reported from a very wide variety of host trees, such as "Quercus", "Prunus", "Pyrus", "Populus", "Salix", "Robinia", and "Fagus", occasionally also from conifers, from August to October or later, sometimes as early as June. In the Mediterranean region, this species is usually found on "Ceratonia" and "Eucalyptus". It can usually be found growing in clusters.Habitat
"Laetiporus sulphureus" is widely distributed across Europe and North America, although its range may be restricted to areas east of the Rockies. It grows on dead or mature hardwoods and has been reported from a very wide variety of host trees, such as "Quercus", "Prunus", "Pyrus", "Populus", "Salix", "Robinia", and "Fagus", occasionally also from conifers, from August to October or later, sometimes as early as June. In the Mediterranean region, this species is usually found on "Ceratonia" and "Eucalyptus". It can usually be found growing in clusters.References:
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