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The striped hedgehog is designated in biological reference books under the Latin name Hydnum zonatum or Hydnellum concrescens. Species of the Bankeraceae family, genus Gidnellum.
Received the specific name due to the non-uniform color of the fruit body
Description of striped hedgehogs
Striped hedgehog is a rare and endangered mushroom. There are radial circles across the entire surface of the cap, indicating zones with different colors.
The structure of the fruiting body is rigid, beige in color, odorless and tasteless
Description of the cap
When the mushrooms are densely packed, the cap becomes deformed and takes the shape of a funnel with wavy edges. In single specimens it is prostrate, round and lumpy. The average diameter is 8-10 cm.
External characteristics:
- the surface is corrugated with a dark brown color in the center, as it approaches the edge the tone brightens and becomes yellowish with a brown tint;
- edges with beige or white stripes, color zones separated by dark radial circles;
- the protective film is velvety, often dry;
- the hymenophore is spinous, the spines are thick, directed downwards, brown at the base, the tops are light;
- the lower part of the cap of young specimens looks gray with a dark beige tint closer to the stem; in adults it is dark brown.
The spore-bearing layer is descending, without a clear boundary separating the cap and the stalk.
At high humidity, the cap is covered with a thin mucous coating
Description of the leg
Most of the leg is in the substrate, above the ground it looks short, thin and disproportionate to the upper part. The structure is rigid. The surface at the base has fragments of mycelial filaments; the color can be of all shades of brown.
Often, before the transition to the cap, the lower part of the stalk is covered with the remains of the substrate
Where and how does it grow
The main concentration of striped hedgehog is in mixed forests with a predominance of birch. Namely in the Far East, the European part of the Russian Federation, the Urals and Siberia. It belongs to the saprophytic species, growing on rotted remains of wood among moss. Fruiting is short-lived - from August to September. It grows solitary, there are specimens growing nearby, but mostly it forms dense groups. When closely spaced, the fruiting bodies grow together laterally from the base to the top.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
There is no information on the toxicity of the species. The hard, dry structure of the fruiting body has no nutritional value.
Doubles and their differences
Externally, the biennial barnacle is similar to the striped hedgehog. A type with thinner flesh. The color is light or dark yellow. Closer to the edge, bounded by radial circles, the stripe is much darker in tone. The ends are smooth or slightly wavy. The hymenophore is weakly descending. The species is inedible.
Velvety surface with poorly defined color zones
Conclusion
The striped hedgehog is an endangered species. Distributed in temperate climates, fruiting is late and short-lived. The structure of the fruiting body is woody, tasteless, and has no nutritional value. The fruiting bodies are inedible.
