Terracotta hedgehog or Shingled hedgehog

The cap is 2 to 6 cm across, sometimes larger, convex then flatter, often irregular, lobed or wavy at the edge and lumpy, without a deep funnel. It often sits slightly off-centre on the stem.

The surface is dry and finely felty or velvety. It's orange-red, terracotta or brownish orange, paler towards the edge, and fades with age.

The cap is 5–15 cm across and up to 25–30 cm in big specimens, and fleshy. It starts convex with an inrolled margin, then flattens, often with a dip in the middle, and in old caps the centre can open right down into the hollow stem. The margin becomes wavy with age.

The surface is dry, pale brown, buff or greyish brown, and covered in coarse dark brown to purplish brown scales. They sit in rings like roof tiles and get bigger and more upturned towards the centre. Young caps can be very pale, pinkish grey with small dark triangular scales.

Instead of gills there are crowded, soft spines 2 to 5 mm long that hang like stalactites, whitish, pink or peachy, and brush off easily. They stop at the top of the stem and don't run down it.

The spore print is white.

Instead of gills there are crowded spines 0.5–1.5 cm long, brittle and running slightly down the stem. They are greyish white or pale lilac grey when young, turning greyish brown and purplish brown as the spores ripen. The spine layer comes away easily from the cap flesh.

The spore print is brown, which separates it from the Hydnum hedgehogs with their white print.

The stem is 2 to 6 cm tall and usually 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, solid, whitish or pinkish white, bruising orange-brown when touched or pressed, and often pointed at the base.

The stem is short and thick, 3–8 cm tall and 1.5–4 cm wide, central or slightly off-centre, often widening towards the base. It's whitish to pale brown and browns from the base upwards. It's smooth apart from traces of stunted spines at the top, becomes hollow with age, and has white mycelium at the base. There is no ring and no volva.

The stem base is pale, with no green, blue or black colour outside or in the cut flesh. That's the feature that separates it from the bitter tooth fungi.

The flesh is firm, whitish with pink or salmon tones.

The flesh is whitish to pale brown and soft, turning greyish brown in old specimens. It doesn't change colour when cut. The taste is mild in young mushrooms and bitter in old ones.

The smell is indistinct.

Fresh mushrooms smell faint, of almost nothing. When fried or dried they develop a strong, spicy aroma, which is why the powder is prized as a seasoning.