XVII. SPINE-TOOTHED MUSHROOMS, CORNUCO- 
PIAS AND FAIRY CLUBS. 
In the genus Hydnum, which belongs to the family Hydneae, 
the lower surface of the cap is thickly set with slender pointed 
spine-like teeth or needles. These take the place of gills in the 
family Agaricinez and of pores in the family Polypore. Our 
species of Hydnum are mostly rather tough, and the edible ones 
are few. Only two are here described: 
Teeth on the lower surface of a cap, H. repandum. 
Teeth on the lower side of flattened branches, H. coralloides. 
The spreading hydnum or Hedgehog mushroom, Hydnum re- 
pandum, is one of our common species. Its cap is more or less 
irregular, often eccentrically attached to the stem and lobed or 
wavy on the margin. Its color may be pale-buff, rusty-yellow, 
pale-red or sienna color. The flesh is compact but rather fragile, 
whitish and somewhat dry. The spines or teeth are about one- 
fourth of an inch long, whitish, tinged with yellow or pinkish- 
yellow. The stem is thick but short and often irregular. It is 
whitish or at least paler than the cap, which is one to four inches 
broad, the stem varying from one to three inches long. 
This fungus grows in woods or open places, on naked soil or 
among leaves and moss singly, in groups, or in clusters. It may, 
be found from July to October. 
The Reddish variety, var. rufescens, sometimes considered a 
good species, having the name Hydnum rufescens, is smaller, 
thinner and more regular in shape and more uniformly reddish in 
color. It grows chiefly in woods, and nearly always has the stem 
central. 
Badham says that the Spreading hydnum is as good as oysters, 
which it somewhat resembles in taste. Stevenson says it is a 
most delicious fungus, but requires about four hours of slow cook- 
ing. Berkeley pronounces it a most excellent fungus, but one 
which requires a little caution in its preparation for the table. 
It is easily dried and preserved for winter use. 
One method of cooking it consists in first slicing the caps and 
steeping them twenty minutes in warm water, then placing in a 
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