''Laetiporus persicinus'', commonly known as the white chicken mushroom, is a species of fungi in the genus ''

Laetiporus ''Laetiporus'' is a genus of edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially ''Laetiporus sulphureus'', are common name, commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken ...

''.

Taxonomy

It was first described scientifically by

Miles Berkeley Miles Joseph Berkeley (1 April 1803 – 30 July 1889) was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology. Life Berkeley was born at Biggin Hall, Benefield, Northamptonshire, and educated at R ...

and

Moses Ashley Curtis Moses Ashley Curtis (11 May 1808 – 10 April 1872) was a noted American botanist. Biography Curtis was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and educated at Williams College in Massachusetts. After graduating, he became a tutor for the children of ...

in 1853 as ''Polyporus persicinus''.

Description

''Laetiporus persicinus'' has a salmon pink

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

and white pores. The cap is velvety and can be wide. The stem tapers from the cap; it is long and 2–7 cm wide at the base. The flesh is whitish and stains brown in zones. The odor is mild or meaty, with a mild to poor taste. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing warm orange ("tussock") color spore print. ...

is white.

Similar species

It is closely related to ''L. sulphureus'' (the chicken mushroom). It may resemble ''

Phaeolus schweinitzii ''Phaeolus schweinitzii'', commonly known as velvet-top fungus, dyer's polypore, dyer's mazegill, or pine dye polypore, is a fungal plant pathogen. Taxonomy ''P. schweinitzii'' is named after Lewis David de Schweinitz, a Pennsylvania-born Mo ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

The species has been collected in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, Greenland, Iceland, North America, and South America. In North America, it can be found in the eastern United States from June to September. It grows on the ground on dead and living

hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

and

softwood Scots pine, a typical and well-known softwood Softwood is wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. The term is opposed to hardwood, which is the wood from angiosperm trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the sof ...

trees.

Edibility

Reports differ as to the species' edibility.

References

Fungi described in 1853 Fungi of Africa Fungi of Australia Fungi of South America Fungi of North America persicinus Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley Taxa named by Moses Ashley Curtis Fungus species {{Polyporales-stub