Loading conditions…
Edibility
Choice
Lookalike Danger
1 / 5
Habitat
🌳 Oak base, stump
Season
Sep – Oct
"Maitake. Returns to the same oak for decades — mark the tree and come back every fall."
⚠️ Do Not Confuse With
Mushroom ID is a rule-out game. Every entry below describes something that looks similar — learn the differences before eating.
Berkeley's PolyporeBondarzewia berkeleyi
🤢 UnpalatableBerkeley's polypore has LARGER, LIGHTER, more leathery leaves and can be TOUGH to inedible. Hen of the woods has SMALLER, DARKER gray-brown fronds in a tighter rosette and stays tender.
🌳 Host Trees & Plants
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.
Oak
Quercus spp.
Ectomycorrhizal · Forageable
Truffle / bolete / chanterelle host. Acorns edible after leaching.
Maitake — the "dancing mushroom". A rosette of gray-brown overlapping fronds at the base of oak trees, arriving with the first cool fall nights. Among the easiest choice edibles to identify and among the most productive by weight (5-25 lb clusters).
Habitat
Base of living or recently-dead oak — especially red and white oak. Less often on maple, elm, and beech. Parasitic-to-saprophytic; returns to the same tree for decades. Fruits in massive clusters at the root flare.
Season Windows by Region
Region
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Catskills / Hudson Valley
NY · 400–4,180 ft
Finger Lakes / Central NY
NY · 500–2,000 ft
Acadia / Down East
ME · 0–1,530 ft
Western Maine
ME · 400–4,170 ft
Northern Maine
ME · 500–5,267 ft
White Mountains
NH · 800–6,288 ft
Lakes Region / Southern NH
NH · 300–1,800 ft
Green Mountains
VT · 800–4,393 ft
Northeast Kingdom
VT · 600–3,300 ft
Berkshires / Western MA
MA · 500–3,491 ft
Northwest CT Hills
CT · 400–2,380 ft
Arcadia / South County
RI · 0–812 ft
Turtle Mountain SF
ND · 1,800–2,400 ft
Pembina Gorge
ND · 850–1,500 ft
Superior NF / BWCA
MN · 1,300–2,301 ft
Chippewa NF
MN · 1,200–1,500 ft
Adirondacks
NY · 1,000–5,344 ft
MN North Shore / Sawtooth
MN · 600–2,301 ft
SE South Dakota / Newton Hills
SD · 1,300–1,550 ft
Sheyenne NG Oak Savanna
ND · 1,000–1,350 ft
Minnesota River Valley
MN · 800–1,150 ft
Cape Cod National Seashore
MA · 0–306 ft
SW Michigan
MI · 580–1,000 ft
Central MI
MI · 700–1,400 ft
Northern Lower Peninsula
MI · 600–1,700 ft
Upper Peninsula
MI · 600–1,979 ft
WI Driftless Area
WI · 650–1,700 ft
Central WI
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Northern WI
WI · 1,000–1,950 ft
SE MN Driftless
MN · 650–1,350 ft
Central MN
MN · 900–1,500 ft
Mobile-Tensaw Delta
AL · 0–50 ft
Tombigbee NF
MS · 300–700 ft
Congaree NP
SC · 100–200 ft
Okefenokee / SE GA
GA · 100–200 ft
Osage Hills / Cross Timbers
OK · 700–1,250 ft
Smoky Hills / Wilson Lake
KS · 1,500–1,950 ft
Shawnee NF
IL · 350–1,065 ft
Central IL Prairies
IL · 450–850 ft
NW IL Driftless
IL · 600–1,200 ft
Hoosier NF / Brown County
IN · 500–1,050 ft
Central IN
IN · 650–1,050 ft
NE Indiana
IN · 750–1,100 ft
Hocking Hills
OH · 650–1,150 ft
Wayne NF
OH · 600–1,400 ft
NE Ohio
OH · 650–1,350 ft
Eastern IA River Valleys
IA · 550–1,100 ft
Southern IA
IA · 700–1,300 ft
Monongahela National Forest
WV · 1,500–4,863 ft
New River Gorge
WV · 800–3,200 ft
Shenandoah / Blue Ridge
VA · 1,000–4,049 ft
Southwest Virginia Highlands
VA · 2,000–5,729 ft
Central PA Ridges
PA · 800–2,500 ft
Ozark Highlands
MO · 800–1,772 ft
Pocono Mountains
PA · 800–2,200 ft
Niobrara River Valley
NE · 1,900–2,700 ft
Western MD / Catoctin
MD · 700–3,360 ft
White Clay Creek
DE · 100–350 ft
NW NJ / High Point
NJ · 400–1,803 ft
Loess Hills
IA · 1,000–1,500 ft
NE Iowa Driftless / Effigy Mounds
IA · 650–1,250 ft
George Washington NF
VA · 1,000–4,397 ft
Laurel Highlands
PA · 1,200–3,213 ft
Oak Openings / NW Ohio
OH · 620–720 ft
NJ Pine Barrens
NJ · 0–200 ft
Eastern NE / Missouri Bluffs
NE · 900–1,350 ft
Pachaug SF / Eastern CT
CT · 200–500 ft
Pocomoke / Eastern Shore
MD · 0–50 ft
Great Swamp / Central RI
RI · 10–120 ft
Great Dismal Swamp NWR
VA · 0–25 ft
VA Tidewater / Colonial Parkway
VA · 0–150 ft
NC Sandhills / Weymouth Woods
NC · 150–600 ft
Tuskegee NF / East-Central AL
AL · 150–600 ft
Ocmulgee / Central GA Piedmont
GA · 250–750 ft
Red Hills / Thomasville GA
GA · 200–450 ft
Allegheny National Forest
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Missouri River Valley
MO · 500–1,200 ft
Mark Twain National Forest
MO · 600–1,600 ft
Northeast Missouri Prairies
MO · 600–1,000 ft
Daniel Boone NF
KY · 700–2,700 ft
Land Between the Lakes
KY · 350–750 ft
Great Smoky Mountains
TN · 900–6,643 ft
Cumberland Plateau
TN · 1,000–3,500 ft
Western NC Mountains
NC · 2,000–6,684 ft
Foothills / Piedmont Transition
NC · 800–2,500 ft
Chattahoochee National Forest
GA · 1,200–4,784 ft
Eastern Kansas River Valleys
KS · 750–1,200 ft
NE Kansas Woodlands
KS · 800–1,300 ft
Ouachita NF (OK)
OK · 600–2,500 ft
Ozark Plateau (NE OK)
OK · 700–1,800 ft
Wichita Mountains
OK · 1,200–2,479 ft
Ozark NF
AR · 700–2,700 ft
Ouachita NF (AR)
AR · 600–2,700 ft
Buffalo National River
AR · 500–2,500 ft
Bankhead NF
AL · 600–1,100 ft
Talladega NF
AL · 700–2,407 ft
De Soto NF
MS · 100–400 ft
Sumter NF (Andrew Pickens)
SC · 800–3,500 ft
Francis Marion NF
SC · 10–100 ft
Flint Hills
KS · 1,000–1,600 ft
Uwharrie NF
NC · 400–1,100 ft
Croatan NF
NC · 0–150 ft
Oconee NF / GA Piedmont
GA · 400–800 ft
Holly Springs NF
MS · 300–600 ft
Cherokee NF
TN · 1,000–6,285 ft
Conecuh NF
AL · 200–400 ft
Growing Requirements
Min Soil Temp
52°F
Moisture Need
rain 1.0in 14d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–6,684 ft
Look-Alikes
Meripilus sumstinei (Black-Staining Polypore)
Edible but tough. Stains black when cut or bruised; hen-of-the-woods stays gray-brown. Grows at oak bases too.
Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken of the Woods)
Also choice edible. Bright yellow-orange shelves — completely different color and growth pattern.
Identification Tips
- ✓Mark the tree! Hen returns year after year — one productive oak can feed you for 20+ seasons
- ✓Fruits when overnight lows first drop into the 50s after a wet stretch
- ✓Tear into strips along the natural grain for sautéing or drying
- ✓Large specimens (10+ lb) are common — bring a bag big enough
Field Notes
Base of mature oaks in northern hardwood mixtures. Peak fruiting late-August through September; occasional October re-flushes after warm rain.
Found Hen of the Woods?
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.
Safety: Never eat any wild mushroom without 100% certain identification from multiple sources. This page is for informational purposes only. When in doubt, throw it out.