Black Tooth Phellodon niger (Fr.) P. Karst. (illustrated 40% life size) Fruit bodies mostly fused together. Cap 3–7cm across, flat or more often centrally depressed, margin lobed; whitish then pale grey with lilaceous tints, soon purplish-black or black, often with olivaceous tints on ageing, usually concentrically zoned; velvety or downy, then pitted or covered in roughened points, ridged and fibrillose towards margin. Stem 10–50×5–20mm, often swollen towards base, rooting or arising from a mycelial pad with a central, black, woody core; velvety tomentum is black at first then grey, grey-brown, or olivaceous. Spines 1–3mm long; blue-grey at first, finally grey. Spores 3.5–4.5×2.5–3.5¼, subglobose, spiny. Spore print white. Habitat usually in coniferous woods; autumn. Uncommon, rare on Red Data List. Unknown edibility.