Common Name:     Sulfur Shelf

Scientific Name:     Laetiporus sulphureus

Other Names:         Rooster Comb, Chicken of the Woods

The sulfur shelf is a bracket fungus that grows on both living and� dead tree trunks and on stumps and logs.� It is parasitic to live plants and saprophytic (drawing nutrients from decaying material) on dead plants.� It is one of the most common edible fungi encountered on the trail

Potpourri:

The common name sulfur shelf derives from the yellow color of the edges of the margins.� Sulfur is yellow in its pure form.

A second variant, having whiter margins is a variant known as semialbinus, the albinus referring to the (albino) white features.� It is also called Laetiporus cincinnatus.

The entire fruit body is edible when it is young. However, when it matures (several weeks), it becomes fibrous and only the edges of the margin are edible.� If the margin breaks off smoothly, it will be palatable. If it is stringy (like overcooked chicken) it will not be.