- fruiting body is up to 40cm wide, a white oval-shaped mass of long white spines, each up to 3 cm long, yellowing in age.
- flesh is firm/spongey and anchored to the tree by a solid white stem.
- grows singly from wounds on hardwoods.
- appears in late sumer and fall.
- flavour is mild and pleasant with a mushroomy odor; cook before eating.
- an edible look-alike is Hericium abietis, which is similar in appearance but lightly salmon-coloured with more branching and a larger size.
|