Sarah Brown
Pheasant back mushrooms, also known as Dryad's Saddle, are abundant and easy to identify. They are often passed over by foragers who mistakenly believe them to be inedible. Pheasant back mushrooms are nontoxic and do not have any poisonous look-alikes. However, one should always cook them thoroughly if one is allergic to mushrooms. The most common pheasant back mushroom look-alike is the Train-Wrecker (Neolentinus lepideus), but some people also mention hawks wing mushrooms (Sarcodon imbricatus).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common Name | Pheasant Back Mushrooms |
| Scientific Name | Polyporus squamosus or Cerioporus squamosus |
| Appearance | Brown, feathery appearance with a scaly cap |
| Smell | Freshly cut pheasant back smells like sliced cucumber or watermelon rind |
| Habitat | Found in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia |
| Seasonality | Spring and Fall |
| Host | Grows on living or dead hardwood trees, particularly elm |
| Size | 3-12 inches long and 4 inches thick |
| Pores | Pinholes in freshly flushed pheasant backs, wider dilated pores in mature mushrooms |
| Stem | Thick, velvety black stem base that is 1.25 inches in diameter |
| Edibility | Edible and nutritious with medicinal properties |
| Look-alikes | Train-Wrecker (Neolentinus lepideus) and Hawk's Wing Mushrooms (Sarcodon imbricatus) are similar but not as good |
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What You'll Learn
Pheasant back mushrooms are also known as Dryad's Saddle
Pheasant back mushrooms, scientifically known as Cerioporus squamosus or Polyporus squamosus, are also commonly referred to as Dryad's Saddle. This mushroom gets its name from the brown, feathery appearance of its scaly cap, which resembles the back of a pheasant. The mushroom is further characterised by its brownish or yellowish colour, large cap, and thick, velvety black stem base.
Pheasant back mushrooms are a type of fungus that grows on living or dead hardwood trees, particularly elm, beech, sycamore, maple, and box elder. They are parasitic saprophytes, causing a white rot that will kill the host tree if it isn't already dead. The mushrooms grow in overlapping clusters and tiers, with individual mushrooms ranging in size from a few inches to over a foot across.
Pheasant back mushrooms are known for their unique aroma, smelling pleasantly of sliced cucumber or watermelon rind rather than having a typical "mushroomy" scent. They are edible and can be prepared in various ways, such as slicing and frying, pickling, or dehydrating and grinding into a powder for soups, sauces, and gravies.
When it comes to foraging, pheasant back mushrooms are considered beginner-friendly and safe for novices as they have virtually no toxic look-alikes. The Train-Wrecker (Neolentinus lepideus) and Hawk's Wing (Sarcodon imbricatus) mushrooms are sometimes mentioned as look-alikes, but both are also edible and lack the distinctive scent of pheasant back mushrooms.
Overall, pheasant back mushrooms, or Dryad's Saddle, are abundant, easy to identify, and provide a delicious and nutritious addition to various dishes.
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They have no dangerous look-alikes
Pheasant back mushrooms, also known as Dryad's Saddle, are abundant and easy to identify. They are widely distributed and pop up each spring in all states east of the Rockies. They are often passed over by foragers who mistakenly believe them to be inedible. However, this is false, and a shame, as these mushrooms can be downright delicious when harvested and prepared correctly. They are also nutritious and have medicinal properties.
Pheasant back mushrooms are nontoxic and have no dangerous look-alikes. This makes them safe for novice foragers to hunt. One of the ways to identify them is by their smell. Unlike most mushrooms, freshly cut pheasant backs smell like sliced cucumber or watermelon rind. They are also recognisable by their brownish or yellowish colour and large cap covered with flat, brown scales. The stems are thick, velvety, and black, with a base that is about 1.25 inches in diameter.
The pheasant back mushroom gets its name from the brown, feathery appearance of its scaly cap. It is a polypore, meaning that its underside is covered in pores rather than gills. The pores are small and tight in young mushrooms, and open and honeycomb-shaped in older mushrooms. The caps are fanlike or funnel-shaped and grow 3 to 12 inches long and 4 inches thick.
Pheasant back mushrooms grow on living or dead hardwood trees, particularly elm, beech, sycamore, maple, and box elder. They are parasitic white-rot fungi, causing a white rot that will kill the host tree if it isn't already dead. They grow in overlapping clusters and tiers, with individual mushrooms varying greatly in size.
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They are parasitic saprophytes
Pheasant back mushrooms, also known as Dryad's Saddle, are parasitic saprophytes. This means they are organisms that live on or inside another host organism, usually causing some harm to the host. In the case of pheasant back mushrooms, they are parasites of dead and dying trees, causing a white rot. They grow on decaying logs, stumps, and injured and dead hardwood trees. This mushroom gets its name, Dryad's Saddle, from Greek mythology, where it is said that the mushroom gets so large that dryad nymphs could use it as a saddle. Full-grown specimens can grow to be up to 2 feet wide!
Pheasant back mushrooms are easily distinguishable by the cap's stylish light and dark brown patterns, which resemble the back of a brown-feathered bird. They are also known for their unique patterning, bursting out of the tree. The thick, fleshy brackets are kidney or fan-shaped and grow up to 2 feet wide and 10-12 inches across, with an average thickness of 2-5 inches. The stems are usually bulbous, thick, short, fat, and fleshy, and are covered in brown speckles or are all white.
When foraging for pheasant back mushrooms, it is important to look for young mushrooms as older mushrooms are too tough to eat. The young mushrooms have tight pores, while older mushrooms will have open, honeycomb-shaped pores. The young mushrooms should have a deep brown colour and markings, while avoiding those that look white or cream.
Pheasant back mushrooms are considered a delicacy by some, and they are often prepared by slicing them thinly, dipping them in egg, coating them in seasoned flour, and then deep-frying them. They have a mild mushroom taste and a tender texture when harvested at the right time.
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They are edible and nutritious
Pheasant back mushrooms, also known as Dryad's Saddle, are edible and even delicious when harvested and prepared correctly. They are abundant and easy to identify, with a brown, feathery appearance and scaly cap. They are often passed over by foragers who mistakenly believe them to be inedible. When cooked, pheasant back mushrooms provide meaty, substantial morsels that add texture and subtle flavour to any dish. They can be sliced thinly and cooked like any other mushroom, or used to make pickles. They can also be dehydrated and ground into a powder to add flavour to soups, sauces and gravies.
Young pheasant back mushrooms are the best to eat, as older mushrooms become too tough. The mushrooms you want to eat will have tight, compressed pores, while older mushrooms will have larger, open, honeycomb-shaped pores. Young mushrooms will also have a deep brown colour and markings, while older mushrooms will lose colour or darken, and their stems will become hard and woody.
Pheasant back mushrooms are also nutritious and have been used in traditional medicine as remedies for various illnesses. They are rich in vitamins B1, B2, B12, C, and D, and contain valuable bioactive antioxidants like carotenoids and terpenoids. They also contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids like linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids, which are considered good fats. Pheasant back mushrooms have antibacterial and antifungal effects and can help prevent chronic illnesses and infections. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of pheasant back mushrooms also play a crucial role in fighting cancer and other illnesses.
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They are easy to identify
Pheasant back mushrooms, also known as Dryad's Saddle, are easy to identify. They are often passed over by foragers who dismiss them as being inedible, but this is false. When harvested and prepared correctly, pheasant backs provide meaty, substantial morsels that add texture and subtle flavour to any dish. They are abundant and can be identified by their smell, which is similar to sliced cucumber or watermelon rind. They have a distinctive brownish or yellowish colour and a large cap covered with flat, brown scales. They grow on living or dead hardwood trees, particularly elm, beech and sycamore, and are found in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
The pheasant back mushroom gets its name from the brown, feathery appearance of its scaly cap. It is a polypore, meaning that its underside is covered in pores rather than gills. The pores are tightly packed and very small, like pinholes, in freshly flushed pheasant backs, which are the ones you want to eat. Older mushrooms will have open, honeycomb-shaped pores. Pheasant backs are a bracket fungus, meaning they will flush in small clusters to shelves of more than 20. Individual mushrooms vary greatly in size, from the width of a quarter to over a foot across.
The stems are the bulbous base from which the fungus first sprouted – thick, short, fat, and fleshy. They’re usually covered in brown speckles but sometimes are all white. The stem stalks rarely exceed 2″ in length. The caps of Dryad’s Saddle make it stand out. They are convex when young, but the outer edges flatten out as they age. Usually, the centre remains indented towards the stem and will collect water and tree leaves.
The most common look-alike is the Train-Wrecker (Neolentinus lepideus), but some people mention hawks-wing mushrooms (Sarcodon imbricatus) as well. Both look-alikes are edible, but not as good as pheasant backs.
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