Gidnellum Peka: what it looks like, description and photo

A fungus of the Bunker family – Peck’s hydnellum – received a specific name in honor of Charles Peck, a mycologist from America, who gave a description of hydnellum. In addition to the Latin name Hydnellum peckii, under which it is listed in biological reference books, the fungus is called: bloody tooth, devil’s tooth or devil’s blackberry.

What does Peck’s Hydnellum look like?

The species consists of a cap covering the stem. Hydnellum Peck does not have a clear border between the upper and lower parts. The fruiting body looks like a funnel that forms immediately from the mycelium site. The entire lower part is covered by a hymenium with a toothed structure. Fruiting bodies are located close to each other, often grow together from the side, form a single fungus.

The external description of Peck’s hydnellum is as follows:

1. Adult fruiting bodies (sporocarps) can reach up to 11 cm in height, the diameter varies from base to top, the cap is on average 15 cm, under favorable conditions for growth – 20 cm. The stem near the ground is about 3 cm thick.
2. The dentate structure is a specialized part for the production of spores and is the reproductive organ of the species. The spines are very thin, tapering, cylindrical in shape.
3. At the base of the sporocarp, the teeth are long, becoming much shorter towards the edge of the cap, in some specimens they look like rudiments.
4. The arrangement is dense with five spikes per 1 sq. mm. At the initial stage of vegetation, they are white with a slight pink tint, after maturation, the spores become dark brown, the color is uniform.
5. The surface of the sporocarp is uneven, may be convex or flattened, tuberculate, possibly depressed in the central part. The shape is rounded with uneven wavy edges. The structure of mature specimens is fibrous, rigid.
6. The mushroom is usually densely covered with fine hair, which gives it a texture similar to felt or velvet. As it grows, the coating peels off and falls off, the caps of mature specimens become smooth.
7. At a young age, the color is light beige or white, darkens with time, becomes covered with brown or black spots, when pressed, the damaged areas become gray or brown.
8. Pulp with a pink tinge or light brown, stiff, very hard.
9. The fruit stalk is short, covered with a needle-like layer, most of it is in the ground, no more than 1 cm protrudes to the surface. At the base it is fleecy, on a tuberous seal, often covered with moss or small remains of litter mixed with the ground.

The liquid is viscous, sticky, serves as a distinctive feature of the species and an additional source of nutrition. Gidnellum Peca is the only mushroom that can be classified as a predator. The bright color of the drops and the specific nutty smell attracts insects. They sit on the surface of the sporocarp, stick, and become food for the fungus.

Where does Peck’s Hydnellum grow?

The type of fungus is mycorrhizal; it can grow only in symbiosis with conifers. Hydnellum hyphae tightly entwine the superficial root system of the tree, receiving nutrition and giving away elements important for the host’s vegetation. They occur singly or in small groups among fallen needles on moss litter in dry forests. Gidnellum Peka form a symbiosis only with perennial trees, so the fungus does not occur in young coniferous forests.

The main distribution of Peck’s hydnellum is in America and Europe, in a mountainous or subalpine ecosystem. A small accumulation of hydnellum is found in Germany, Italy, and Scotland. In Our Country, it grows in the Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Tyumen regions. Single specimens are found in the forests near St. Petersburg. Fruits in the first decade of autumn.

Is it possible to eat hydnellum peck

The fruit body is very tough and fibrous, not suitable for any processing method. Gidnellum Peka is inedible due to its bitter taste and specific smell, which resembles fruity and at the same time nutty. The comparison should be in favor of the mushroom, but the smell is so sharp and repulsive with hints of ammonia, it is unlikely to arouse gastronomic interest. As for toxicity, the information is contradictory, in some sources the secreted juice is considered poisonous, in others it is not. In any case, Peck’s Hydnellum is an inedible mushroom.

Medicinal properties

The chemical composition of the extracted extract contains atromentin, a powerful natural anticoagulant. The substance is stronger in composition than heparin, which thins the blood and prevents the appearance of blood clots. This compound is used to treat, for example, thrombophlebitis. Therefore, an extract from hydnellum in the future could be a good alternative to a pharmaceutical agent.

Conclusion

Gidnellum Peck is endowed with an exotic appearance. The liquid protruding through the pores on a light surface looks like drops of blood. The sinister appeal of the fungus will not leave it unnoticed, but it is only a young specimen. Mature mushrooms are brown and inconspicuous, very tough. The taste is bitter with a pungent odor, the fruiting bodies are inedible.