''Hydnellum concrescens'' is an inedible fungus, commonly known as the zoned hydnellum or zoned tooth fungus. As with other

tooth fungi The hydnoid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota with basidiocarps (fruit bodies) producing spores on pendant, tooth-like or spine-like projections. They are colloquially called tooth fungi. Originally such fungi were referred to the g ...

, the spores are produced on spines on the underside of the cap, rather than gills. It has a funnel-shaped cap, typically between in diameter, which has characteristic

concentric In geometry, two or more objects are said to be concentric, coaxal, or coaxial when they share the same center or axis. Circles, regular polygons and regular polyhedra, and spheres may be concentric to one another (sharing the same center point ...

zones of color. The cap may also have radial ridges extending from the center to the margins. The spines are pink in young specimens, but turn brown with age. This species is very similar in appearance to '' Hydnellum scrobiculatum'', and traditionally, largely unreliable microscopic characteristics such as

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

size and ornamentation have been used to distinguish between the two. Recent research has demonstrated a way to discriminate the two species using

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

of the ITS regions.

References

External links

Index Fungorum
synonyms
Roger's Mushrooms
picture and description

description, bioactive compounds and medicinal properties Inedible fungi concrescens Fungi of Europe Fungi described in 1796 Fungus species {{Agaricomycetes-stub