Hydnum repandum
Syst. mycol. 1: 400. 1821.
Common Name: hedgehog
Synonym: Dentinum repandum (L. : Fr.) S. F. Gray
Cap 2-12 cm broad, convex, becoming nearly plane, disc sometimes depressed; margin inrolled at first, lobed to undulate; surface dry, smooth to slightly scaly, cream to buff-orange, bruising to orange-brown; flesh thick, pale-buff, brittle, bruising buff-orange; odor and taste mild.
Teeth 0.4-0.6 cm long, brittle, cream-colored, bruising orange-brown, sometimes decurrent.
Stipe 2-7 cm tall, 1-2.5 cm thick, equal to enlarged at the base; attachment central to eccentric; surface dry, smooth, cream to buff-yellow, bruising orange-brown; veil absent.
Spores 6.5-8.5 x 6-8 µm, nearly round, smooth. Spore print white.
Scattered to gregarious under conifers, occasionally with hardwoods; in our area common under Bishop pine (Pinus muricata) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Fruiting from mid-winter to early spring.
Edible and excellent, although they can be bitter unless well cooked.
Hydnum repandum fruits late in the mushroom season, often not until after the New Year. Its pale-buff to buff-orange fruiting body resembles Cantharellus californicus or C. formosus, but the latter are yellower in color, has ridges, not spines on the lower cap surface and generally grows with hardwoods like Quercus agrifolia, not conifers. Hydnum umbilicatum is a closely related species, smaller in size, the cap having a small, central pit.
The true Hydnum repandum is not known to occur in California. There are 2-3 species hiding under this name, more research is needed to clarify this situation.
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