Wood hedgehog or Devil's tooth

Cap 4-10 cm, convex at first, then flat and spreading with an uneven, wavy edge, sometimes with a crater-like depression in the center. Young caps are white or cream, with red droplets of exudate on the porous surface. The surface is velvety-felty and rough. With age the red drops dry up, and the cap turns gray-brown to dark brown, with uneven lumpy outgrowths.

The cap is 4-15 cm across, irregular, with an unevenly wavy margin; convex in young mushrooms, flat and spread out in mature ones, with a lumpy surface and a depressed center. The color is ivory, cream, ochre-yellow to light orange, turning reddish-brown in old mushrooms. The surface is dry and silky-suede, slightly sticky in wet weather. The cap skin is thin and peels easily.

The hymenophore is spiny (small sharp teeth on the underside of the cap) — a typical feature of the genus Hydnellum. The spines are thin, 2-5 mm, whitish at first, turning pinkish brown to purplish brown with age. Spore print brown.

The spiny hymenophore is the key diagnostic feature. Under the cap there are densely packed thin, pointed spines 3-6 mm long that break off easily. The spines are white to cream, yellowing with age and turning reddish-ochre in old mushrooms. The spore print is white.

Stem 2-5 cm tall, 1-3 cm thick, short and coarse, sometimes fused with neighboring stems. Red-brown to brown, with a velvety surface. There is no ring.

The stem is 3-8 cm tall and 1-3 cm thick, cylindrical, often widening toward the base, sometimes eccentric (off-center from the cap). It's white to cream, yellowing slightly where pressed. The surface is smooth, with no ring. The stem flesh is firm, becoming spongy in old mushrooms.

The flesh is dense, corky, dark reddish brown, with concentric darker and lighter zones when cut. A burning, bitter taste — the mushroom is impossible to eat.

The flesh is thick, white, firm and brittle. When cut, it slowly turns pale ochre (a slight yellowing). Young mushrooms have a delicate, pleasant nutty flavor; mature ones have a slightly bitter aftertaste that disappears after brief boiling.

Faint mealy or earthy smell. The taste is extremely hot, bitter and peppery — even a microscopic taste burns the tongue.

A faint, pleasant mushroomy-fruity aroma with a note of fresh nuts. The taste is mild and delicate; slightly bitter in old mushrooms.