Hydnellum peckii (Hydnellum peckii)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (undefined)
- Order: Thelephorales
- Family: Bankeraceae (Banker)
- Genus: Hydnellum (Hydnellum)
- Species: Hydnellum peckii (Hydnellum Peck)
or
Devil's mane
The name of this mushroom can be translated as “bleeding tooth”. It is a fairly common inedible mushroom that grows in the coniferous forests of Europe and North America. It, like champignons, belongs to agaric mushrooms, but, unlike them, is inedible. There are developments that are aimed at obtaining serum based on the poison from this mushroom.
In appearance, gidnellum pitch resembles used bleeding gum, but with a strawberry scent. When looking at this mushroom, the association arises that it is splattered with the blood of a wounded animal. However, in fact, upon closer inspection, it is noticeable that this liquid forms inside the fungus itself and flows out through the pores.
It was opened in 1812. Outwardly, it looks very attractive and appetizing, and is somewhat similar to a raincoat, which has been poured with currant juice or maple syrup.
The fruit bodies have a white, velvety surface that can turn beige or brown over time. There are small depressions on it, and young specimens secrete blood-red droplets of liquid from the surface. The mushroom has an unpleasant taste of cork pulp. Spore-bearing brown powder.
Gidnellum pitch has good antibacterial properties and contains chemical compounds that can thin the blood. Perhaps, in the near future, this mushroom will become a substitute for penicillin, which was also obtained from the fungi Penicillium notatum.
This mushroom has a unique feature, which is that it can use soil juices and insects that fall on it through carelessness for nutrition. The crimson-red nectar that stands out on the top of the young mushrooms is the bait for them.
Sharp formations appear along the edges of the cap with age, due to which the word "tooth" appeared in the name of the mushroom. The cap of the “bloody tooth” is 5-10 cm in diameter, the leg is about 3 cm long. Due to its blood streaks, the fungus is quite clearly visible among other plants in the forest. It grows in North America, Australia and Europe.