Terracotta hedgehogHydnum rufescens

The terracotta hedgehog (Hydnum rufescens) is a small edible mushroom with a terracotta to orange-red, velvety cap. Underneath it has no gills, just a dense carpet of soft, pale pink spines that hang like stalactites, as First Nature puts it. It's a close relative of the chanterelles and the smaller, brighter sibling of the wood hedgehog. DNA studies have shown that several near-identical species hide under this name and can't be told apart in the field, so this card covers the whole group.

How do you identify a terracotta hedgehog? The cap is 2 to 6 cm across, sometimes larger, convex then flatter, often irregular, lobed or wavy at the edge and lumpy. The surface is dry and finely felty. It's orange-red, terracotta or brownish orange, paler towards the edge, and fades with age. The spines are 2 to 5 mm long, crowded and soft, whitish, pink or peachy, brush off easily and stop at the top of the stem rather than running down it. The spore print is white. The stem is 2 to 6 cm tall and usually 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, whitish or pinkish white, bruising orange-brown when handled, and often pointed at the base. The flesh is firm, whitish with pink or salmon tones. The smell is indistinct.

Where does it grow? On soil among moss and leaf litter in conifer, mixed and broadleaved woods, in partnership with spruce, pine, beech, oak, hazel or lime. It grows singly, in small groups and sometimes in arcs or fairy rings, from late summer into early winter.

Is the terracotta hedgehog edible? Yes, it's a good edible, but always cook it: its close relative, the wood hedgehog, is said to almost certainly upset your stomach if eaten raw. Pick young ones free of grubs, as older ones can turn bitter. It's easiest to brush the spines off with a blunt knife while you're still in the wood. If you're trying it for the first time, eat a small amount first to check you're not allergic.

What can you mistake it for? The wood hedgehog is bigger, with a 4 to 15 cm creamy white to pale ochre cap, and its spines run down the stem. Both are edible. The white hedgehog is white to cream. We found no dangerous lookalike with spines, but the real risk is picking an 'orange mushroom' by cap colour alone. The chanterelle has blunt, forked ridges running down the stem underneath, and the false chanterelle has crowded true gills. So always turn the mushroom over and check: a hedgehog has spines. Devil's tooth also has spines but is tough and corky, with red droplets on the young cap and brownish spines. Outside our catalogue, the scaly tooth (Sarcodon squamosus) has a brown scaly cap and brown spores, and the bitter, inedible greenfoot tooth (Hydnellum scabrosum) has a greyish-green stem base.