365 Urban Species. #203: Chicken Mushroom

[urbpan]

Photos by urbpan. Location: The Riverway, at the base of a red oak.

Urban species #203: Chicken mushroom Laetiporus cincinnatus

A word about the scientific nomenclature of this species. Currently, molecular identification techniques are causing a revolution in mycology. Mushrooms that are familiar among those who collect and eat them, are turning out to be complexes of species that have different ecologies. The chicken mushroom is one of these. Mycologist Tom Volk advocates using the name cincinnatus for those chicken mushrooms that have a white spore-bearing surface (as opposed to yellow) and grow from the base of the tree they are feeding on. The urban-ness of the species name is, of course, most appealing to me as well.

Chicken mushrooms are among the most sought-after of the edible mushrooms. They are named for their textural resemblance to chicken flesh when cooked (raw, like many mushrooms, they cause stomach upset). When I discover a chicken mushroom, I have to photograph it immediately, before some urban forager harvests it.


The white, spore bearing surface.


This is what the chicken mushroom looked like earlier in the week:

Comments

[trywhy.livejournal.com]

ten bucks says it was someone just "cleaning up" the park...

its a rare person indeed that scavanges the park for edible mushrooms.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

So, this a pinkish-white version of chicken-of-the-woods?

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

still haven't caught one of these wild, gorjus, thanx!

and yeah, really, around fresh pond and places, a mushroom can't have an honest day, if you can eat it, people collect them. all of them. hah.

found a white bearded type last year, went back to take pictures, it was already GONE, and i got a frakking parking ticket for my trouble.

i was told by the joker that took it that it was delicious ;)

lots of wine caps and other fine species there.

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