(Hericium coralloides)
The comb tooth fungus, or, as it is commonly called, coral hedgehog, is a large and mostly white fungus with numerous toothed branches. Comb Tooth Fungus can grow up to 40 cm wide and can reach heights of 20 cm high. The branches are toothy structures found on both sides of the branch. These toothy growths are about 1 cm in length.
These fungi fruit on dead hardwood or on living trees that have been injured, and it has been documented on conifers as well, although this is not very common. Most times, you will find just one, but look around, as sometimes they do grow in clusters. Comb tooth fungus tends to grow quite regularly on a tree for about 5 years.
Look for them from late summer to early fall. They are widely distributed throughout North America and Europe. This fungus also grows in many other parts of the world.
They are edible when young, as long as they are white. To harvest this fungus, just cut it off quite close to the wood. Be careful, though, as it is quite fragile. It is a house for many insects, so thoroughly clean by shaking and hand removal of beetles if needed. Only harvest pure white ones; if it has begun to yellow, it’s going to taste sour.
Some say this fungus has a very pleasant nutty flavour, but it has a slightly mushroomy flavour, and there is also a hint of a shellfish flavour, and it even has the texture of crab meat. Some people will make comb tooth cakes that taste remarkably like crab cakes. To me, they are sweet, mild, and delicious. To think you can use these as substitutes for crab, clams, or fish dishes is pretty cool.