cap is up to 10cm wide, convex, smooth, dry, wavy at the edges, light brown with an orange tint.
underside has distinctive spines that are cream-colored.
flesh is white when cut, coloring unevenly to yellow-brown.
stem is solid, white, possibly enlarging slightly towards the base.
grows solitary or numerous on the ground in areas with conifers and hardwoods.
appears in the summer and fall.
has a pleasant taste with no odor; cook before eating.
an edible look-alike is Hydnum umbilicatum, which is similar in appearance but smaller and with a darker cap, growing in bogs and swamps.
an inedible (but not poisonous) look-alike is Bankera fuligineo-alba, which is similar in appearance but instead of a smooth cap has one with embedded pine needles and organic debris.
an edible look-alike is the [Scaly hedgehog], which has distinctive large, raised brown scales on the cap.
