Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Hen of the woods is a mushroom that grows as a big, ruffled cluster of gray-brown, spoon- to fan-shaped caps at the base of oaks in late summer and fall, mostly in the eastern US. It often comes back to the same tree for several years, and it's the same mushroom sold in stores as maitake. It's also called sheep's head or ram's head.

Appearance

Appearance: A rosette that can reach about 20 in (50 cm) across, made of many smoky brown to pale gray-brown caps, each about 1–4 in (2–10 cm), on a shared, branching whitish stem. The pores underneath are white to yellowish, and the flesh is white and firm.
Growth form: The cluster grows from a branched stem that arises from an underground knot of fungal tissue () about the size of a potato.

Look-alikes

Black-staining polyporeMeripilus sumstinei

Its individual caps are larger, its pores are smaller, and its surfaces bruise black when handled. Hen of the woods does not bruise black.

Why they get mixed upIt also forms big clusters at the base of hardwoods.

Umbrella polyporePolyporus umbellatus

Its many small caps are more clearly separate, each on its own little stem, instead of overlapping fans.

Why they get mixed upBoth grow as a many-capped cluster from one base.

Eastern cauliflower mushroomSparassis spathulata

Its pale, ribbon-like lobes are smooth underneath with no pores, while hen of the woods has gray-brown caps with a white pore surface below.

Why they get mixed upIt also makes a big, frilly, rounded cluster in eastern US woods in late summer.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Hardwood forests
Base of oak trees
Old trees in parks
Range: Widespread east of the Rocky Mountains and most common in the eastern US; rare in the West, though it has been found as far west as Idaho.
Preferred conditions: Grows at the base of living oaks and other hardwoods, which it weakly parasitizes, and also on decaying wood. It causes a white rot in the tree's butt (the lowest part of the trunk).
Seasons: In the US
Fruit Sep–Oct

Life cycle

Reproduction: Spores are released from the pores and make a white .

Growing it

Care: Store-bought maitake is cultivated, mostly on sawdust blocks; Japan has grown it commercially since the 1970s.
Toxicity: It's a well-known edible, but it should be cooked thoroughly, and some people are allergic to it.

Name and classification

About the name: Some think the East Asian and North American forms may be separate species from the European one, but they have not been formally split.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: Maitake means "dancing mushroom" in Japanese.
It's often sold with health claims, but there is no high-quality clinical evidence that it works as medicine.