Bearded Tooth Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. (illustrated 50% life size) Fruit body solid cushion giving rise to pendulous, crowded spines up to 6cm long; whitish, discolouring yellowish with age. Spores 4–5.5×5–6.5¼, subglobose, minutely warted; amyloid. Spore print white to yellowish. Gloeocystidia present as elongated, undulating organs with refractive contents. Habitat from scars on living deciduous trees, especially beech; late summer to autumn. Occasional, vulnerable on Red Data List, a conserved species on the Biodiversity Action Plan. Edible.
