Pekepeke-kiore

What it is

Hericium novae-zealandiae is a native New Zealand coral tooth fungus. Its Māori name is pekepeke-kiore, and the English common name is New Zealand coral tooth. Earlier names include Hydnum novae-zealandiae, and the catalogue records Hericium coralloides as a misapplied name for New Zealand material.

The catalogue's caution is that older New Zealand records of H. coralloides are a misapplication. They are not proof that all global H. coralloides records belong to this taxon.

Habitat and season

The fungus is saprotrophic and grows on dead wood. Sources say it grows mainly in the autumn months. The catalogue gives it as a New Zealand record with supply recorded as unknown.

Traditional food use

Sources state that it was harvested by Māori as a food. One summary of New Zealand fungi notes that Māori chants suggest it was eaten mainly in times of famine because it has little flavour. A science learning resource says that few reports record ancestors eating it, although a closely related Asian species is widely eaten. The catalogue describes it as a native food mushroom traditionally consumed by Māori.

A research paper on its polysaccharides describes it as a native wood-decay mushroom traditionally consumed by Māori. The paper concerns the fungus's chemistry, not its safety as food.

Modern cultivation and use

Small trials in Hawke's Bay have grown it for restaurants. A company in Raglan has developed a cultivation method and a dietary supplement based on the fungus. Commercial growers describe its flavour as savoury and umami, with some comparing it to crab.

Most of the modern sources come from growers or supplement sellers. Their health claims are not independently confirmed, and the evidence for it as a staple food is thin.

Identification and cautions

One source says the fungus is edible when young and becomes brittle with age. That observation comes from a field record, not from a food-safety study.

This page is not an identification guide. Coral tooth fungi are easily confused with one another, and the misapplied H. coralloides name shows how records can mislead. Anyone gathering the fungus should identify it with an expert before eating it.