Coral tooth mushroom is edible, but no one hunts for it

This year’s mushroom season is in full swing and the seasons is awesome! Mushrooms grow like crazy these days, but the biggest harvest is still ahead. Whether you are an experienced mushroom picker or not it is always a good idea to expand you knowledge, right? Our tip of the day is a very interesting mushroom call the coral tooth. Never heard of it? Well, it is a gem that any mushroom picker should know about. It is a mushroom that is fairly rare so no one hunts for it… but in any case let us introduce it in more detail.

A striking and photogenic mushroom

Hericium coralloides, is a beautiful and noticeable wood fungus. If you are lucky and find it you will love it. It belongs to the coralline family. Another interesting mushroom is the mountain-priest mushroom, which is known for its healing effects. See the picture below. Fruiting bodies of coral tooth can grow to 40 cm in size and are shaped like bushes with many small twigs. The twigs merge and turn into a smooth stem. When young, the mushroom is pure white but turns creamy and yellow when older.

Photo: Zdeněk Pelda

Look in deciduous forest

Yes, the name of this mushroom contains the world “coral”, but you need to look in deciduous forests. Most often it grows on beech or maple wood – both on decaying wood and living trees. If you find one, look around as there are probably several more. Best time to go for coral tooth hunting is in autumn.

Photo: Zdeněk Pelda

It is edible but…

Yes, the coral tooth is an edible mushroom but not many people know it. Even if you ask an experienced mushroom pickers chances are that they will not even know this mushroom, much less whether it is edible or not.The truth is that no one collects it, because it is a very rare mushroom and very few people would admire the beauty of this unusual species. The good thing is that this mushroom will most likely be preserved for future generations as no one would eat it… Look at the pictures. This type of mushroom is beautiful but does not look appetizing…

Photo: Zdeněk Pelda

Preview photo: Zdeněk Pelda