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hen of the woods

American  
Or hen-of-the-woods

noun

  1. a large, grayish-brown, edible fungus, Polyporus frondosus, forming a mass of overlapping caps at the base of trees and somewhat resembling a hen.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My steak was cooked perfectly and complemented by the numerous sides, which include hen of the woods mushrooms, Japanese sweet potato and hand-cut black truffle fries.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2025

Persimmon, hen of the woods mushrooms and black walnuts are frequent fall finds.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2022

Summer brings a bevy of berries — Juneberries, raspberries, blackberries — along with chanterelle and hen of the woods mushrooms.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2022

It was Thornton’s signature “Wolves in the Snow,” which looks like a feral crime scene of venison, pine gelee, cauliflower puree, cocoa coffee crumble, blueberry meringue, cabbage and hen of the woods mushroom.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2014

We recommend you sample his roasted quail and hen of the woods mushrooms.

From Time Magazine Archive

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