Hericium erinaceus
Just in time for Halloween: Fungi with TEETH! This pure white mushroom is quite the rock star in the fungus world, being both an edible and medicinal fungus. It grows on recently downed or wounded hardwood trees, which is exactly where I found these!
As a mushroom, Lion’s Mane is just a mass of white spines, or teeth, that hang downward. The spines can grow up to two inches long before slowly discoloring with age. Another common name for it is Bearded Tooth Mushroom, which is quite appropriate for what it looks like. The photos below show one “young” mushroom (about 5 inches in diameter) found in late October, growing near the base of a standing tree (the spines aren’t fully developed yet); the other photos show larger specimens–one found on a downed tree last August, one found inside a hole of an oak tree in early November, and finally, one young but very large mushroom growing on a wounded oak tree in early October.
This toothed fungus is popular in Chinese cooking and medicine, and it can be cultivated, much like shiitakes, on sawdust and logs. Growing “kits” for Lion’s Mane mushrooms are readily available online. So what are you waiting for?!
Click on an photo below to open a slide viewer.
VIRGINIA WILDFLOWERS 
your flowers and your labor of love to take the pictures and give all the information about them is so wonderful. your passion for flowers gives us the way and means of learning about the beauty you see in the natural. thank you so much may the lord always bless you with his beautiful creation.
Hi, I have been morel mushroom fan for years, I may have seen these before and would like a more educated gatherervto help a moderate gatherer in identifying these, I have bad diabetes and like more info, thanks!