Hen of the Woods Isolated Spore Syringe – 10cc
$20.00
Hen of the Woods, or maitake, is the gourmet species Grifola frondosa, known for producing large, ruffled clusters of overlapping gray-brown fronds. Unlike gilled mushrooms, its reproductive surface is covered in tiny pores that release smooth, hyaline spores.
Product Description
Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa), also known by its Japanese name maitake, is an edible polypore with one of the most distinctive growth forms in gourmet mycology.
Rather than producing individual mushrooms with a traditional cap and stem, G. frondosa develops a branching central structure supporting dozens—and sometimes hundreds—of overlapping, fan-shaped fronds. Their coloration ranges from smoky gray and gray-brown to deeper brown along the outer surfaces, creating the layered appearance responsible for the name “Hen of the Woods.”
Turn the cluster over and its anatomy becomes even more interesting. There are no gills. The pale underside contains a layer of tiny pores leading into spore-producing tubes. Inside this tissue, basidia generate smooth, essentially colorless basidiospores.
In nature, G. frondosa is strongly associated with mature hardwoods, particularly oak, and commonly appears around the bases of trees or old stumps in temperate forests. As a wood-decaying fungus, it participates in the breakdown of woody plant tissue.
Hen of the Woods is also highly valued as a culinary mushroom for its layered texture and naturally savory, umami-rich flavor. Its unusual architecture, pore-bearing reproductive surface, wood-decaying ecology, and culinary history make it an especially interesting species from both a gourmet and mycological perspective.
About this strain
Hen of the Woods and maitake are two common names for the same species: Grifola frondosa.
Its fruiting body is built very differently from many familiar gourmet mushrooms. A thick, branching base divides repeatedly into flattened, overlapping fronds, eventually creating a large rosette-like structure that can resemble the feathers of a sitting hen.
Underneath each frond is a pale poroid reproductive surface. Thousands of microscopic pores open into tubes lined with spore-producing basidia. The resulting basidiospores are smooth, hyaline, and broadly ellipsoid to ovoid.
The species is naturally associated with hardwood forests and is particularly well known for appearing around oak trees. Its biology is closely connected to wood decomposition, while its fruiting body has become prized in cuisines around the world.
Hen of the Woods is a mushroom where one organism can create an entire structure that looks like a forest of individual caps.
It isn't.
Look underneath, and every frond leads back to the same interconnected fungus.
