Estimated value
$8–20/lb fresh
Dried $30–70/lb
Whole young clusters. Cultivated maitake undercuts wild unless the cluster is huge and clean.
medicinal · choice
Hen of the Woods / Maitake
Grifola frondosa
Also called Sheep's head
Field marks
- Spore print
- White
- Smell
- Rich, earthy, grain-like
- Trees / hosts
- Oak, rarely other hardwoods
- Elevation
- Low hardwood belt.
Description
Gray-brown feathery rosette at the base of oak. Many overlapping petal-like caps with white pores beneath. Can weigh several kilos.
Where it grows
Base of living or dying oaks.
How to find it
Circle mature oaks in early fall. Look at the root flare, not the canopy. Same tree fruits for years.
How to pick
Cut the core above dirt. Brush, do not soak. Check for insects in the base.
Medicinal notes
Beta-glucans studied for immune support. Sold as D-fraction supplements. Food use is the conservative path; medical claims need a clinician.
Psychoactive / controlled
None.
Law
Legal food and supplement.
Lookalikes
Berkeley's polypore
Tougher, paler, huge. Edible only when very young.
Black-staining polypore
Stains dark. Edible young, different texture.
Field ID ticket
Tick every required mark in the woods. 0/3 required. This still is not laboratory certainty.
Do not eat or sell this specimen. Missing required marks.