Hydnum rufescens - Terracotta Hedgehog

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes (insertae sedis)

Order: Cantharellales

Hydnum rufescens, a hedgehog fungus, is a popular edible species. It should be picked while young and free from worms and grubs.

This mushroom, which is reportedly ectomycorrhizal with conifers and with broadleaf trees, grows in all kinds of woodland. Its cap colour that is perfectly described by its common name Terracotta Hedgehog. Other common names given to this mushroom include Terracotta Wood Urchin and Rufous Hedgehog.

Identification guide

	Cap The cap is 2 to 6cm in diameter orange-red or pale tan, smooth and slightly felty to the touch; it is often perched eccentrically upon the stipe. The flesh is pink.
	Spines Hanging down like stalactites, soft spines cover the fertile surface beneath the cap. Unlike those of its close relative, Hydnum repandum, the pink spines of this species are adnexed or almost free rather than decurrent to the stem. When fully developed, the spines are 2 to 4mm long. Stem Pinkish white and solid with white flesh, stems of the Terracotta Hedgehog are 2 to 4cm tall and typically 1.5 to 3cm in diameter.
	Spores Ellipsoidal, 6.5 - 8 x 5.5 - 7μm. Spore print White.
Odour/taste	Odour not distinctive; taste is initially mild but turns bitter in the mouth after a few moments delay.
Habitat	Ectomycorrhizal; often forming rings or arcs among the moss and leaf litter of forest floors.
Season	August to December.
Occurrence	Fairly common in Britain and Ireland, Hydnum rufescens is also found throughout mainland Europe..
Similar species	Hydnum repandum is larger and cream coloured; its spines are decurrent to the stem rather than adnexed.

Reference Sources

Fascinated by Fungi, Pat O'Reilly 2011

Dictionary of the Fungi; Paul M. Kirk, Paul F. Cannon, David W. Minter and J. A. Stalpers; CABI, 2008

Taxonomic history and synonym information on these pages is drawn from many sources but in particular from the British Mycological Society's GB Checklist of Fungi and (for basidiomycetes) on Kew's Checklist of the British & Irish Basidiomycota.