About this fungus
Terracotta Hedgehog is a fungus in the Hydnaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A small orange-tan woodland mushroom with soft hanging teeth beneath the cap instead of gills or pores.
What to check
Confirm pale pinkish to cream teeth, a solid pale stem, no ring or volva, and an orange to russet cap. The teeth usually stop at the stem or run down only slightly, although that feature varies within the Hydnum complex.
Variation
Caps range from orange-brown to russet or dull tan and become paler in dry weather. Size and the amount that the teeth run down the stem overlap with related species.
Lookalikes
Wood Hedgehog is often larger and paler, with teeth that run farther down the stem, but the two can overlap. Modern studies have split several cryptic Hydnum species, so a field identification may represent the rufescens group rather than a genetically confirmed species.
Habitat and range
Ectomycorrhizal with broadleaved trees and conifers, among moss, leaf litter or needles. It often fruits in loose arcs or groups in temperate woodland.
Food safety
Choice edible.
Use this profile to learn what to examine and compare, not as proof that a mushroom is safe to eat. Check the whole specimen and every important lookalike before reaching an identification.
Photographs
Jerzy Opioła / CC BY-SA 4.0