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Glite Dictionary
hen-of-the-woods

hen-of-the-woods

8.4
A large edible mushroom with many overlapping caps that looks like a hen and grows at the base of trees
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛn əv ðə wʊdz/
translation icon : seta de gallina
  • We found a massive hen-of-the-woods growing at the base of an old oak tree.

Examples

  • The chef sautéed slices of hen-of-the-woods for the dinner special.

  • Foragers prize the hen-of-the-woods for its flavor and meaty texture.

  • I found a hen-of-the-woods mushroom in the forest.

  • Have you ever tried hen-of-the-woods?

  • Foragers prize the hen-of-the-woods for its flavor and meaty texture.

  • The chef sautéed slices of hen-of-the-woods for the dinner special.

  • We found a massive hen-of-the-woods growing at the base of an old oak tree.

Synonyms

hen of the woods
vshen-of-the-woods
8.1

A large mushroom you can eat that has many overlapping caps and grows at the base of trees

is given as a general description without the species name
Grifola frondosa
vshen-of-the-woods
  • Specialized
9.3

A large edible mushroom with many caps joined together that grows at tree bases, called hen of the woods

is the general edible fungus description without listing other names
Polyporus frondosus
vshen-of-the-woods
  • Specialized
8.4

A large grey brown edible mushroom with many overlapping caps that grows at tree bases

is the general species description presented without any alternative scientific name

Surface Forms

hen-of-the-woods singular
hen-of-the-woods plural

Etymology

The word hen-of-the-woods comes from a simple image: people thought the large, overlapping caps looked like the feathers of a hen sitting in the woods, so they called it 'hen of the woods'. It is also called maitake in Japanese, meaning 'dancing mushroom', so the name reminds you how it looks and where it grows and that it is a large edible forest mushroom.