[2] It has a widespread distribution, being found in North America, Australia, and Eurasia, where it causes a white rot in the heartwood of living and dead hardwood trees.

Dryad's saddle is an annual[6] mushroom commonly found attached to dead logs and stumps or on living hardwood trees at one point with a thick stem.

[8] It plays an important role in woodland ecosystems by decomposing wood, usually elm, silver maple, or box elder[6] but is occasionally a parasite on living trees.

Other tree hosts include ash, beech, horse chestnut, Persian walnut, lime, maple, planetree, poplar, magnolia, and willow.

Cookbooks dealing with preparation generally recommend gathering these while young, slicing them into small pieces and cooking them over a low heat.