For the other species named Hedgehog mushroom, see Hericium erinaceus.

Hydnum repandum, commonly known as the sweet tooth, wood hedgehog or hedgehog
mushroom, is a basidiomycete fungus of the family Hydnaceae. First described by Carl Linnaeus
in 1753, it is the type species of the genus Hydnum. The fungus produces fruit bodies
(mushrooms) that are characterized by their spore-bearing structures—in the form of spines
rather than gills—which hang down from the underside of the cap. The cap is dry, colored yellow
to light orange to brown, and often develops an irregular shape, especially when it has grown
closely crowded with adjacent fruit bodies. The mushroom tissue is white with a pleasant odor
and a spicy or bitter taste. All parts of the mushroom stain orange with age or when bruised.
 Hydnum repandum

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Fungi

Division: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Cantharellales

Family: Hydnaceae

Genus: Hydnum

Species: H. repandum

Binomial name

Hydnum repandum
L. (1753)[1]

Synonyms[6]

Hydnum flavidum Schaeff. (1774)[2]

Hypothele repanda (L.) Paulet (1812)

Dentinum repandum (L.) Gray (1821)[3]

Tyrodon repandus (L.) P.Karst. (1881)[4]

Sarcodon repandus (L.) Quél. (1886)[5]

 Hydnum repandum

Mycological characteristics

teeth on hymenium

cap is depressed

hymenium is decurrent

stipe is bare

spore print is white to cream

ecology is mycorrhizal

edibility: choice

A mycorrhizal fungus, Hydnum repandum is broadly distributed in Europe, Asia and western
North America, where it fruits singly or in close groups in coniferous or deciduous woodland.
This is a choice edible species, although mature specimens can develop a bitter taste. It has no
poisonous lookalikes. Mushrooms are collected and sold in local markets of Europe and Canada.

Taxonomy

First officially described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 Species Plantarum, Hydnum repandum was
sanctioned by Swedish mycologist Elias Fries in 1821.[7] The species has been shuffled to
several genera: Hypothele by French naturalist Jean-Jacques Paulet in 1812; Dentinum by British
botanist Samuel Frederick Gray in 1821; Tyrodon by Finnish mycologist Petter Karsten in 1881;
Sarcodon by French naturalist Lucien Quélet in 1886.[6] After a 1977 nomenclatural proposal by
American mycologist Ronald H. Petersen[8] was accepted, Hydnum repandum became the official
type species of the genus Hydnum. Previously, supporting arguments for making H. repandum
the type were made by Dutch taxonomist Marinus Anton Donk (1958)[9] and Petersen (1973),[10]
while Czech mycologist Zdeněk Pouzar (1958)[11] and Canadian mycologist Kenneth Harrison
(1971) thought that H. imbricatum should be the type.[12]

Several forms and varieties of H. repandum have been described. Forms albidum and rufescens,
found in Russia, were published by T.L. Nikolajeva in 1961;[13] the latter taxon is synonymous
with H. rufescens.[14] Form amarum, published from Slovenia by Zlata Stropnik, Bogdan Tratnik
and Garbrijel Seljak in 1988,[15] is illegitimate as per article 36.1 of the International Code of
Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, as it was not given a sufficiently comprehensive
description. French botanist Jean-Baptiste Barla described H. repandum var. rufescens in
1859.[16] English naturalist Carleton Rea described the white-fruit bodied version as a variety—
H. repandum var. album—in 1922.[17]

Molecular studies have shown that the current species concept for H. repandum needed revision
as there was a poor overlap between morphological and molecular species concepts. A 2009
Phylogenetic analysis of European specimens, based on internal transcribed spacer and 5.8S
DNA sequences, indicated that H. repandum specimens form two distinct clades, whose only
consistent morphological distinction is cap size. These genetic differences foreshadowed the
presence of undescribed cryptic species, and that the taxon may currently be undergoing
intensive speciation.[18] A comprehensive genetic study published in 2016 of members of the
genus worldwide found that there are at least four species in the broad concept of H. repandum:
two species from southern China, one from Europe and eastern North America, and H. repandum
itself from Europe, western North America, and northern (and alpine southwestern) China and
Japan. Although it is missing from Central America, genetic material has been recovered from
Venezuela from the tree Pakaraimaea dipterocarpacea, suggesting it somehow migrated there
and had changed hosts.[19] Saqib Raza Mustafai https://www.olxes.com/saqib-raza-mustafai/
The specific epithet repandum means "bent back", referring to the wavy cap margin. The varietal
epithet album means "white as an egg".[20] Hydnum repandum has been given several vernacular
names: "sweet tooth",[21] "yellow tooth fungus",[22] "wood urchin",[23] "spreading hedgehog",[24]
"hedgehog mushroom", or "pig's trotter".[25] The variety album is known as "white wood".[20]

Description

Detail of the spines

The orange-, yellow- or tan-colored pileus (cap) is up to 17 cm (6.7 in) wide, although specimens
measuring 25 cm (10 in) have been documented. It is generally somewhat irregular in shape (it
may be convex or concave at maturity), with a wavy margin that is rolled inward when young.[25]
Caps grow in a distorted shape when fruit bodies are closely clustered.[26] The cap surface is
generally dry and smooth, although mature specimens may show cracking.[25] Viewed from
above, the caps of mature specimens resemble somewhat those of chanterelles.[27] The flesh is
thick, white, firm, brittle, and bruises yellow to orange-brown. The underside is densely covered
with small, slender whitish spines measuring 2–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long.[25] These spines
sometimes run down at least one side of the stipe.[23] The stipe, typically 3–10 cm (1.2–3.9 in)
long and 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) thick, is either white or the same color as the cap, and is
sometimes off-center.[25] It is easy to overlook the mushrooms when they are situated amongst
gilled mushrooms and boletes, because the cap and stipe are fairly nondescript and the
mushrooms must be turned over to reveal their spines.[28] The pure white variety of this species,
H. repandum var. album, is smaller than the main variety, with a cap measuring 2–7 cm (0.8–
2.8 in) wide and a stipe that is 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) long.[20]

The spore print is pale cream. Basidiospores are smooth, thin-walled and hyaline (translucent),
roughly spherical to broadly egg-shaped, and measure 5.5–7.5 by 4.5–5.5 µm. They usually
contain a single, large refractive oil droplet. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are club-shaped,
four-spored, and measure 30–45 by 6–10 µm. The cap cuticle is a trichodermium (where the
outermost hyphae emerge roughly parallel, like hairs, perpendicular to the cap surface) of narrow,
club-shaped cells that are 2.5–4 µm wide. Underneath this tissue is the subhymenial layer of
interwoven hyphae measuring 10–20 µm in diameter. The spine tissue is made of narrow (2–
5 µm diameter), thin-walled hyphae with clamp connections.[23]

Similar species

North American lookalikes include the white hedgehog (Hydnum albidum) and the giant
hedgehog (Hydnum albomagnum). H. albidum has a white to pale yellowish grey fruit body that
bruises yellow to orange. H. albomagnum is large and paler than H. repandum.[29] Hydnum
umbilicatum is smaller, with caps measuring 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) in diameter, and thinner stipes
that are 0.5–1 cm (0.2–0.4 in) wide.[30] Its caps are umbilicate (with a navel-like cavity),
sometimes with a hole in the center of the cap,[26] unlike the flattened or slightly depressed caps
of H. repandum.[20] Microscopically, H. umbilicatum has spores that are larger and more elliptical
than those of H. repandum, measuring 7.5–9 by 6–7.5 µm.[27] A European lookalike, Hydnum
rufescens, is also smaller than H. repandum, and has a deeper apricot to orange color.[31]
Hydnum ellipsosporum, described as a new species from Germany in 2004, differs from
H. repandum by the shape and length of its spores, which are ellipsoid and measure 9–11 by 6–
7.5 µm. Compared to H. repandum, it has smaller fruit bodies, with cap diameters ranging from 3
to 5 cm (1.2 to 2.0 in) wide.[32]

Ecology, habitat and distribution

Collection from Eggingen, Germany

H. repandum is a mycorrhizal fungus.[26] The fruit bodies grow singly, scattered, or in groups on
the ground or in leaf litter in both coniferous and deciduous forests.[25][31] They can also grow in
fairy rings.[33] Fruiting occurs from summer to autumn.[21] The species is widely distributed in the
northern temperate zone, and is one of the most common of the tooth fungi.[25] It has been
recorded from Australia, Europe, northern Asia, and North America.[29] In Europe, it has been
listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Data Lists of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany;
Sweden lists it as being of Least Concern.[34]

Edibility

H. repandum on sale at a market in

Finland

H. repandum is considered to be a good edible, having a sweet, nutty taste and a crunchy texture.
Some consider it the culinary equivalent of the chanterelle.[35] Author Michael Kuo gives it an
edibility rating of "great" and notes that there are no poisonous lookalikes, and that H. repandum
mushrooms are unlikely to be infested with maggots. Delicately brushing the cap and stipe of
specimens immediately after harvest will help prevent soil from getting lodged between the
teeth. H. repandum mushrooms can be cooked by pickling,[36] simmering in milk or stock, and
sautéeing, which creates a "tender, meaty texture and a mild flavor."[37] The mushroom tissue
absorbs liquids well and assumes the flavors of added ingredients.[37] The firm texture of the
cooked mushroom makes it suitable for freezing. Its natural flavor is reportedly similar to the
peppery taste of watercress,[28] or oysters.[38] Older specimens may have a bitter taste, but
boiling can remove the bitterness.[36] Specimens found under conifers can taste "unpleasantly
strong".[39] The form amarum, locally common in Slovakia, is reportedly inedible because its fruit
body has a bitter taste at all developmental stages.[15]

Hydnum repandum
, dried
[40]

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 1,431 kJ (342 kcal)

Fat 4.3 g

Protein 19.7 g

Vitamins Quantity %DV†

Vitamin C 1.1 mg 1%

Minerals Quantity %DV†

Calcium 600 mg 60%

Copper 38.9 mg 1945%

Iron 38 mg 292%

Magnesium 230 mg 65%

Manganese 23.2 mg 1105%

Potassium 2.89 mg 0%

Sodium 31.9 mg 2%

Zinc 5.72 mg 60%

Units

μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams

IU = International units

†
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Hydnum repandum is frequently sold with chanterelles in Italy, and in France, it is one of the
officially recognized edible species sold in markets.[33] In Europe, it is usually sold under its
French name pied-de-mouton (sheep's foot).[29] It is also collected and sold in local markets of
Mexico,[41] Spain[42] and British Columbia, Canada.[43] H. repandum mushrooms are also used as
a food source by the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).[44]

As a widespread edible species, H. repandum has been the subject of several scientific studies
determining its nutritional and chemical composition. H. repandum fruit bodies contain 10.7%
moisture and 9.2% ash. The organic acid composition includes malic acid (0.31 grams per 100 g
of mushroom, dry weight) and citric acid (0.65%).[40] One study assessed the proportion of
essential amino acids (value expressed as a percentage of the total amino acids): valine, 3.9%;
leucine, 14.5%; isoleucine, 3.2%; threonine, 4.4%; methionine, 1%; lysine, 4.2%; phenylalanine,
3.4%; tryptophan, 1.4%. Lipid content is 4.7% (expressed as a percent of dry matter). Major fatty
acids include palmitate (15.7%), stearate (0.9%), oleate (26.4%), lineoleate (47.5%), and
linolenate (20.3%). The mycosterol content has been recorded as 628 milligrams of ergosterol
and 85 mg of fungisterol (both values per 100 grams of dry matter).[45]

Chemistry

Both H. repandum and the variety album contain the diepoxide compound repandiol
(2R,3R,8R,9R)-4,6-decadiyne-2,3:8,9-diepoxy-1,10-diol), which was shown to have potent cytotoxic
activity against various tumor cells in laboratory culture.[46] At the molecular level, repandiol is an
alkylating agent. It inserts crosslinks between strands of DNA, making it difficult for the genetic
material to be expressed or replicated.[47] The volatile chemicals responsible for the fruity aroma
of the mushroom are known. The 12 compounds include eight-carbon derivatives such as 1-
octen-3-ol, (E)-2-octenol, and (E)-1,3-octadiene.[48] European studies conducted after the 1986
Chernobyl disaster have shown that the fruit bodies have a high rate of accumulation of the
radioactive isotope cesium.[49]

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Cited literature

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hydnum repandum.

Dugan FM (2011). Conspectus of World Ethnomycology. St. Paul, Minnesota: American

Phytopathological Society. ISBN 978-0-89054-395-5.
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