Laetiporus persicinus
Description
Laetiporus persicinus is an edible mushroom of the genus Laetiporus. It is closely related to the chicken mushroom, or Laetiporus sulphureus. Laetiporus persicinus has a salmon pink cap and white pores. This mushroom grows on dead and living hardwood and softwood trees. It was first described scientifically by Miles Berkeley and Moses Ashley Curtis in 1853 as Polyporus persicinus. It has been collected in Africa, Australia, Asia, North America, and South America.
It grows from late spring to late summer, but most successfully in late July or august. Unusually for fungi, L. persicinus is more successful in dry weather, rainwater will quickly decompose the fungus to black slime.
Common names: White Chicken Mushroom.
Mushroom Identification
Fruiting Body
The flesh is firm and spongy; medium to very large in size and usually circular in shape with fine white hairs on the surface. The mushroom is brown-orange with colors of red, white, and purple. The darker colors appear more with aging. The pores under the mushroom are white and bruise brown when handled. A well-nourished Laetiporus persicinus can fuse multiple fruiting bodies leading to sizes of a meter long.
Stem
Stocky and central.
Smell
Musty and not described as pleasant.
Taste
Described as woody or unpleasant due to the smell.
Spores
Oval to elliptic; clear and smooth.
Spore Print
White until touched when turn dark.
Habitat
Both living and dead wood; hardwood and softwood. A decomposer that primarily grows on oak trees is found either next to the trees or fruit directly from the wood.
Synonyms
Bondarzewia talpae
Buglossoporus persicinus
Cladoporus persicinus
Dendrochaete vallata
Meripilus percicinus
Meripilus persicinus
Meripilus talpae
Polyporus beardsleei
Polyporus glazioui
Polyporus glaziovii
Polyporus mesotalpae
Polyporus persicinus
Polyporus subcolossus
Polyporus talpae
Scutiger persicinus
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Aaron S (Public Domain)
Photo 2 - Author: Aaron S (Public Domain)
Photo 3 - Author: Ryan Watson (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Ryan Watson (CC BY-SA 4.0)