oak tree mushroom help!

[pheasantpro10]

Ok I need some help. I don't know how to post pictures of it so I will try to describe it the best I can. I found a pretty good spread of this mushroom on the side of an oak tree that has been down for 2 or 3 years it reminds me of the shape of a hen of the woods, but it has ripples on it like a sea shell and it's pretty much pure white. Any help would be great, found it today and didn't touch it. Didn't want my fingers to fall off. Thanks again

[Stick in Mud]

Hens can be white, though they usually aren't.

Does it have a stem and cap? Gills?

Oh, and no mushrooms is so poisonous that your fingers will fall off if you touch it. You might want to wash your hands after holding a poisonous one (or one of unknown ID), but you can always touch them.

[pushbutton]

Was it actually growing ......on..... the downed log? If so probably just some shelf type. Most hens appear to be growing out of the dirt at the base of a live oak tree. Like Stick mentioned, probably not lethal though

[Stick in Mud]

The vast majority of the hens I've found have been at the base of a tree, but they do grow on fallen wood. Not often, but it's possible.

If it's white and kinda looks like a hen, it might be a very old chicken of the woods. They get white as they get old.

Without a pic, it's impossible to tell .

[pheasantpro10]

Thanks for the help, I new it would be tough with out a picture but just thought I'd ask. I don't do alot of mushroom hunting but I like to get out and stroll through the woods in the fall. Thanks again, and is there somewhere on here where I can figure out how to post pictures?

[Stick in Mud]

I think the file has to be less than 3 MB. If it is, look above the textbox at the "buttons" for the emoticons, bold font, italics, etc. You can upload a photo by clicking on the fifth button from the left; it's got a blue arrow pointing up. Then hit "choose file," find the picture where you saved it on your computer, and then hit "add file."

I dunno...that sounds more complicated than it really is. Give it a try, though...I'm curious to see what you've got.

[minky]

Any updates of what mushroom this was?

Is there a basic book on IDing mushrooms?

[Stick in Mud]

The "bible" for identification is Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora, though it's getting quite old now (thirty years, I believe) so the taxonomy is often "wrong" because things have changed so much.

There are also a host of field guides that'll work, too.