Hen of the Woods, Gifola  frondosa

Nov 2012

Hen of the Woods from the base of an oak tree at my house

This beauty showed up at the base of an oak tree in our yard. I’d seen similar ones several times but had not known what it was. What I was missing! This is an edible fungus called “Hen-of-the-woods” , or in Latin  Grifola frondosa. Also called maitake, or sheepshead mushroom, this is  a large group of fungi called the “polyspores”. The hen of the woods is a prized edible treat  known for its mild smoky flavor and nutritional properties. It is prized in Japan where it is also native.  But the presence of theis welcome fall visitor brings mixed feelings. The wild decomposer also is a sign of the aging of my oaks. The fungus is a parasite, slowly causing wood rot in dead trees, and accelerating tree death in living trees. The part I see- the edible whorls connected to a stem, is only the fruiting body. As most fungi do, the organism has a vast connected mesh of threadlike cells called mycelia.  This vast network comprises the bulk of the actual organism, diving into soil, and through wood. The portion I see now is only periodically produced: to spread spores in the late summer and fall.

I’ll eat some of this, savoring it in a soup or fried with vegetables. I’ll also enjoy my oak, knowing it will still most likely outlast me. For two hundred years it has been towering tall. It may have another fifty to go, but its slow decline, on the scale of decades, not weeks, is signaled by the production of this lovely and tasty member of the living world.