Tiered Tooth

Habitat

Found on the trunks and rotting wood of deciduous trees, with a strong preference for beech. It typically grows in old broad-leaved woodlands and may function as a weak parasite. Fruit bodies appear singly or in small, fused tiers on dead or fallen wood.

Photos

Appearance

Fruit body

Semicircular to shell-shaped brackets measuring 5 to 20 cm across; often found in tiered or overlapping clusters with wavy, lobed edges and a textured upper surface featuring warts, fibrous scales, or sterile spines.

Spines

Short, crowded, and conical spines hanging from the underside, measuring 5 to 15 mm long; color ranges from cream to pinkish-white.

Flesh

Thick, soft, and ranging in color from white to cream.

Stem

Not distinct or separate from the main body of the fungus.

Spore print

White.

Smell

Nondescript but pleasant.

Taste

Mild and pleasant.

Edibility

This species has a mild, pleasant taste and smell with a soft flesh texture. While uncommon and potentially vulnerable, it is generally considered to have the same edibility qualities as Hericium erinaceus. It is unlikely to be confused with any fungi outside of its own genus.

Nutrient Source

It obtains nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter, primarily from hardwood trees like beech. It grows on dead standing trees, fallen wood, or stumps.

Common Names

Danish

Børstepigsvamp

Dutch

Gelobde pruikzwam

English

Tiered Tooth

Finnish

tupasorakas

German

Dorniger Stachelbart

Norwegian Bokmål

børstepiggsopp

Norwegian Nynorsk

børstepiggsopp

Swedish

gyttertagging, gyttrad taggsvamp

Ukrainian

Герицій вусиковий

Welsh

Pigau Haenog

Synonyms

• Creolophus cirrhatus
• Creolophus corrugatus
• Creolophus diversidens
• Dryodon cirrhatum
• Dryodon corrugatus
• Dryodon diversidens
• Hericium diversidens
• Hydnum cirrhatum
• Hydnum corrugatum
• Hydnum diversidens
• Hydnum paradoxum
• Pleurodon cirrhatus
• Steccherinum cirrhatum