# Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf (*laetiporus gilbertsonii*)

The Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf is a bright orange-yellow mushroom that looks like a shelf growing on trees! Kids will love spotting these fun fungi in the forest.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** It lives on decaying hardwood trees in forests.
- **Also known as:** Laetiporus

![Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Laetiporus_gilbertsonii_19346.jpg&width=800)

Photo: This image was created by user Jason Hollinger (jason) at Mushroom Observer , a source for mycological images. You can contact this user her, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laetiporus_gilbertsonii_19346.jpg)

## Appearance

The Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf has vibrant, overlapping fan-shaped shelves that are bright orange-yellow on top and pale yellow underneath. It lacks traditional gills, instead releasing spores from tiny pores, and often appears in dramatic, cascading clusters.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Polyporales
- **Family:** Laetiporaceae
- **Genus:** Laetiporus

## Interesting facts

- It's sometimes called 'chicken of the woods' because of its unique texture and taste!
- Look closely! The underside is covered in tiny pores, not gills, for spore release.
- This mushroom often grows so large it could cover your backpack!
- You might find these bright shelves growing many feet up a tree trunk!

## Special abilities

- **Wood Wrecking Wonder:** Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf can digest tough wood because of powerful enzymes that help them recycle forest nutrients.
- **Spore Spray Station:** Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf has a layered, shelf-like growth that helps them spread millions of spores wide.
- **Color Calling Card:** Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf has brilliant, eye-catching colors that may signal its presence to hungry animals.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-30 cm
- **Edible:** edible
- **Size:** 10-60 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Summer, Fall
- **Spore Color:** White

## Ecological connections

- **Depends on:** [Coast Live Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coast-live-oak) (*Quercus agrifolia*) — grows on its dead or dying wood
- **Depends on:** [Bigleaf Maple](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bigleaf-maple) (*Acer macrophyllum*) — found on its decaying trunks and branches
- **Eaten by:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — sometimes nibbled by deer in the forest

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before touching or eating wild mushrooms.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf?

5-30 cm

### Is Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf edible?

edible

### How big is Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf?

10-60 cm

### Where is Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf usually found?

It lives on decaying hardwood trees in forests.

### What does Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf grow on?

wood

### When is Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf in season?

Summer, Fall

### What color are Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf spores?

White

## Where to spot

- [Warm Springs Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/warm-springs-park) — California, US · Park
- [Fort Christmas Historical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-christmas-historical-park) — Florida, US · Park

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf Facts — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-hardwood-sulphur-shelf)