Wood Hedgehog
(Common Hydnum, or Wood Urchin)
Description
Fruit-body top- to funnel-shaped or flattened funnel-shaped, up to 8 cm high. Cap Ø 3-15 cm, irregularly round, occasionally slightly furrowed, faintly felted, matt, cream or apricot to mustard-yellow or ochre yellow, with incurved, scored margin. Spines fragile, soft, awl-shaped, decurrent, up to 6 mm long, creamy white to salmon-pink.
Stem 2-6 x 2-3 cm, finely downy, white, yellow at the base. Flesh soft, white. Smell pleasant.
Spore-print colour white.
Edible.
Occurrence
Not uncommon near deciduous trees (Beech), rarely near coniferous trees in deciduous woods and along roadsides on moderately to slightly acid, sandy or loamy soil.
Forming ectomycorrhiza.
Related and/or similar species
- Hydnum rufescens, this is a rare, orange-red to reddish brown species or a variety of Hydnum repandum.