Terracotta hedgehog

What it is

Hydnum rufescens is a hedgehog fungus in the family Hydnaceae. Its cap is reddish brown, which gives the species its name, and its spines are 2 to 4 mm long when fully grown. The stem is pinkish white and solid, typically 2 to 4 cm tall and 1.5 to 3 cm across. As with other hydnoid fungi, the fertile surface is a layer of spines on the underside of the cap rather than gills.

The species was described by Persoon, and sources give either 1800 or 1801 for the publication, so the date is not settled. The catalogue notes that the name was once applied broadly, and that sequence-based identification improves records.

Habitat and distribution

It grows in association with trees. Sources describe it as fairly common in Britain and Ireland and found throughout mainland Europe, with reports from the eastern side of North America that need confirmation as the same species.

Look-alikes and food status

The wood hedgehog, Hydnum repandum, is the main look-alike. It is larger and cream-coloured. Sources disagree on whether the spines run down the stem in each species, so that feature should not be relied on to tell them apart.

Wikipedia describes the terracotta hedgehog as an edible basidiomycete. A Swedish database notes that the name Hydnum rufescens is used for several closely related species that are hard to separate, and that all Hydnum species are edible. A UK foraging guide rates it a novice-level edible, with firm texture when cooked and a nutty, slightly spicy flavour, and it describes the species as often smaller and more fragile than the common hedgehog. The catalogue records cooked use in Europe.

This page does not establish that any particular Hydnum collection is safe to eat, and no preparation here makes an unidentified mushroom safe. Identify the whole specimen against a regional key or with a specialist before eating it.