The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 86

CHAPTER VIII.

HYDNACEAE--FUNGI WITH TEETH.

There is, perhaps, no family in mycology that has a greater variety in form, size, and consistency than this. Some species are very large, some are small, some fleshy, and some are corky or woody. The fruiting surface is the special characteristic marking the family. This surface is covered with spines or teeth which nearly always point to the earth.

Many of the Hydnaceae are shelving, growing on trees or logs; some grow on the ground on central, but usually eccentric, stems. The genera of Hydnaceae are distinguished by the size, shape, and attachment of the teeth. The following genera are included:

Hydnum--Spines discrete at the base.

Irpex--Resupinate; with gill-like teeth concrete with the pileus.

Mucronella--Plants with teeth only and no basal membrane.

Radulum--Hymenium with thick, blunt, irregular spines.

Sistotrema--Fleshy plants with caps and flattened teeth, on ground.

Phlebia--Plants spread over the host with crowded folds or wrinkles.

Grandinia--Covered with granules, more or less smooth, and excavated.

Odontium--Covered with crested granules.

_Hydnum. Linn._

Hydnum is from a Greek word meaning an eatable fungus. The genus is characterized by awl-shaped spines which are distant at the base. These spines are at first papilliform, then elongated and round. They form the fruiting surface and take the place of the gills in the family Agaricaceae and of the pores in the family of Polyporaceae. The spines are simple or in some cases the tips are more or less branched.

This is the greatest genus in the family and it includes many important edible species. It may be divided into two groups: one, those species having a cap and a central or lateral stem; the other, the species growing with or without a distinct cap, in large imbricated ma.s.ses. Some imitate coral in structure and some seem to be a ma.s.s of spines. Many of these plants grow to be very large and ma.s.sive, frequently weighing over ten pounds.

_Hydnum repandum. Linn._

THE SPREADING HYDNUM. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 362.--Hydnum repandum. Two-thirds natural size.]

Repandum, bent backward, referring to the position of the stem and the cap. The pileus is two to four inches broad, generally irregular, with the stem eccentric; fleshy, brittle, convex or nearly plane, compact, more or less repand, nearly smooth; color varying from a pale buff--the typical hue--to a distinct brick-red; flesh creamy-white, inclining to turn brown when bruised; taste slightly aromatic, margin often wavy.

The spines are beneath the cap, one-quarter to one-third of an inch long, irregular, entire, pointed, rather easily detached, leaving small cavities in the fleshy cap, soft, creamy, becoming darker in older specimens.

The stem is short, thick, solid in young specimens, hollow in older specimens; paler than the pileus, rather rough, often set eccentrically into the cap; one to three inches long, sometimes thickened at the base, sometimes at the top. The spores are globose or a broad oval, with a small papilla at one end.

The usual color of the cap is buff, sometimes very pale, almost white.

The color and smoothness of the cap have given rise to the name of "doe-skin mushroom." I found this plant occasionally in the woods about Salem, Ohio. It is very variable in size and color, and is quite fragile, growing alone or in cl.u.s.ters. It is one of our best mushrooms if properly cooked, and may be dried and kept for winter use. Found in woods and open places from July to October, sometimes earlier. Specimens in Figure 362 were found in Poke Hollow.

_Hydnum imbricatum. Linn._

THE IMBRICATED HYDNUM. EDIBLE.

Imbricatum is from _imbrex_, a tile, referring to the surface of the cap being torn into triangular scales, seeming to overlap one another like s.h.i.+ngles on a roof.

The pileus is fleshy, plane, slightly depressed, tessellated scaly, downy, not zoned, umber in color or brownish as if scorched, flesh dingy-white, taste slightly bitter when raw, margin round.

The spines are decurrent, entire, numerous, short, ashy-white, generally equal in length.

The stem is firm, short, thick, even, whitish. The spores are pale yellow-brown, rough.

The bitter taste entirely leaves the plant when well cooked. It seems to delight in pine or chestnut woods. I found it in Emmanuel Thomas' woods, east of Salem, Ohio. It is found from September to November.

_Hydnum erinaceum. Bull._

THE HEDGEHOG HYDNUM. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate XLVIII. Figure 363.--Hydnum Erinaceum.

Two-thirds natural size. The plant is entirely white when fresh.]

Erinaceum, a hedgehog. Two to eight inches or more across. Tufts pendulous. White and yellowish-white becoming yellowish-brown; fleshy, elastic, tough, sometimes emarginate (broadly attached as if tuft were cut in two or sliced off where attached), a ma.s.s of latticed branches and fibrils. Spines one and a half inches to four inches long, crowded, straight, equal, pendulous. The stem is sometimes rudimentary. The spores are subglobose, white, plain, 5-6. _Peck_, 22 N. Y. Report.

The spines when just starting are like small papillae, as will be seen in Figure 364. Figure 363 represents a very fine specimen found on the end of a beech log, on the Huntington Hills, near Chillicothe. It made a meal for three families. I have found several basketfuls of this species on this same log, within the past few years. I have also found on the same log large specimens of Hydnum corralloides.

The photograph at the beginning of the book represents the largest specimen I ever saw of this species. It measured eighteen inches one way and thirteen the other, and was found on a maple tree on top of Mount Logan. It grew from a central stem, while the one in Figure 363 grew from a crack in a log, apparently without a stem. Plate I, Figure 1 was photographed after it was dried. The specimen can be seen in the Lloyd Library in Cincinnati. Found from July to October.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 364.--Hydnum erinaceum. Young state.]

_Hydnum caput-ursi. Fr._

THE BEAR'S HEAD HYDNUM. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 365.--Hydnum caput-ursi.]

Caput-ursi means the head of a bear.

This is a very beautiful plant but not as common as some other species of Hydnum. It grows in very large pendulous tufts, as Figure 365 will indicate. It is found frequently on standing oak and maple trees, sometimes quite high up in the trees. It is more frequently found on logs and stumps, as are its kindred species. The plant arises out of the wood by a single stout stem which branches into many divisions, all of which are covered by long pendant spines. When it grows on top of a log or stump the spines are frequently erect. It is white, becoming in age yellow and brownish. It has a wide distribution through the states. As an esculent it is fine. The specimen in Figure 365 was found near Akron, Ohio, and was photographed by Mr. G. D. Smith. It is found from July to October.

_Hydnum caput-Medusae. Bull._

THE MEDUSA'S HEAD HYDNUM. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 366.--Hydnum caput-Medusae. One-third natural size.]

Caput-Medusae, head of Medusa. This is a very striking plant when seen in the woods. The tufts are pendulous. The long wavy spines resemble the wavy locks of Medusa, hence the name. The long soft spines cover the entire surface of the fungus, which is divided into fleshy branches or divisions, each terminating in a crown of shorter drooping teeth.

The color at first is white, changing in age to a buff or a dark cream, which distinguishes it from H. caput-ursi. The taste is sweet and aromatic, sometimes slightly pungent. The stem is short and concealed beneath the growth.

I found this plant growing on a hickory log, on Lee's hill, near Chillicothe, from which came the specimen in Figure 366. I have also found it on elm and beech. Found from July to October.

It is both attractive and palatable.