MISCELLANEOUS FUNGI 237 



which the above cut represents a section, and the H. 

 caput-meduscE, or Medusa- head Hydnum. None of 

 the group is accounted poisonous, though some of 

 them are too tough to be acceptable as food. 



THE HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM 

 Hydnum repandum 



In this species, figured on Plate 27, bearing some- 

 what the contour of an Agaric, the spines are all 

 confined to the lower surface of the expanded cap. 

 The general color of the upper surface is buflf, gen- 

 erally very pale, occasionally almost white. The 

 spines being of similar hue, this color 



Characters and the smoothness of texture have 

 and qualities suggested the common popular English 

 name of "doeskin mushroom." The 

 flesh is firm and white or creamy, turning brownish 

 when bruised. Its sweet but slightly pungent or 

 peppery taste when raw disappears in cooking. It 

 is quite frequent in our woods, and if fresh and free 

 from insects may be eaten without the slightest hesi- 

 tation. It is a species highly favored on the Conti- 

 nent, where the surplus yield is habitually dried and 

 kept for winter use. The hot flavor of the raw 

 Hydnum was formerly sufficient to brand it as poi- 

 sonous, Roques, I believe, having been the first to 

 demonstrate its edibility, and Dr. Badham to dis- 

 tinguish its mimetic flavor — " Hydna as good as oys- 

 ters, which they somewhat resemble in taste." 



Cooke and Berkeley describe a variety of this mush- 

 room having a distinctly reddish pileus — H. rufescens 

 — and Prof. Charles Peck gives the species quite a 



