Laetiporus sulphureus

(Bull.) Murrill

A developing fruiting body on the stem of false acacia in Pitsea, Essex.
) Early-stage fruiting on the stem of Pissard’s plum in Pitsea, Essex
Maturing fruiting body on a sweet chestnut coppice stool at Gusted Hall Wood, Essex
Mature fruiting body within a stem cavity on English oak in Bowers Gifford, Essex
Over-mature chalk-like bracket with fragments below on an oak log in the New Forest, Hampshire

A developing fruiting body on the stem of false acacia in Pitsea, Essex.
) Early-stage fruiting on the stem of Pissard’s plum in Pitsea, Essex
Maturing fruiting body on a sweet chestnut coppice stool at Gusted Hall Wood, Essex
Mature fruiting body within a stem cavity on English oak in Bowers Gifford, Essex
Over-mature chalk-like bracket with fragments below on an oak log in the New Forest, Hampshire
Mature fronds on false acacia in Saffron Walden, UK.
Senescent and mostly-crumbled fruit body tier on false acacia at Greenwich Park, UK.
Over-mature senescing brackets on a wound on oak in Bowers Gifford, UK.
Decaying fruit body on oak in London, UK.
Subtle remnants of fallen fruit bodies on oak in Harlow, UK.

Common name

Chicken of the woods, sulphur polypore.

Often found on

Cherry, oak, sweet chestnut, willow, yew (likely a sub-species).

Sometimes found on

Beech, tree of heaven, and other broad-leaved species.

Location

Found on the stem of the tree through into the scaffold crown structure – be certain to look for fragments of this fungus at the base of the tree, during autumn and winter.

Description

Annual. Soft and fleshy. Exudes water when fresh and moist. Can become quite large. Emerges as a vanilla-white mass before developing into a frond-like structure (usually abundant splaying fronds but sometimes singular – may be observed as shelves). As fronds / shelves develop, they become a yellow-orange, with orange colourations becoming more pronounced as the bracket matures. Pore surface light yellow. Flesh yellow. Can bleach a chalky-white in senescence and then often crumbles. Fragments may also remain attached to the tree. Thick whitish mycelial sheets persist within the wood, between growth rings and rays.

Confused with

Cerioporus squamosus (large pores); Pleurotus ostreatus (gilled).

Significance

Attributed to a cubical brown rot of the central wood (heartwood). No research has been undertaken on the pathogenicity of this fungus. Presence indicative of localised decay or wider decay. Wood density and strength may be quickly reduced though visible decay tends to develop slowly. Can cause hollowing and stem failure by way of brittle fracture. Investigations in to hollowing may be required, where targets exist. Prevalence potentially underestimated due to a general lack of (ephemeral) fructification.