Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa )

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Fruit body: 15-40cm across. Make up of a large number of fan-shapes caps joined to a central branching stem. Each cap is 3-8cm across , grey-brown in colour and often has a wavy margin.

Stem: Branching, off-white or cream.

Tubes: 2-3mm long, heavily decurrent.

Spores: White

Flesh: White

Habitat: Parasitic on Oak and Beech trees. Fruit body grows at the base of the trunk

Frequency: Frequent

Season:  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec 

Edibility: Edible

Eating notes: Only collect young specimens. Older fruit bodies become fibrous and gain an unpleasant smell.

Preserving: Can be dried.