Hericium americanum, the bear's head tooth, is a white tooth fungus in the Hericiaceae. Its fruiting body is a tightly branched structure that arises from a rooting base, with long spines hanging in clusters, mostly at the branch tips. It is white, becoming yellowish to brownish with age, and reaches about 15-30 cm across. Its spines are mostly longer than 1 cm, and it is branched, unlike H. erinaceus.
Edible and well regarded when young and white, with a taste often compared to lobster. Older, yellowed specimens are less good. No dangerous look-alikes are reported among the tooth fungi it resembles, but cook wild mushrooms before eating and try a small amount first.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
Habitat
Saprobic and possibly parasitic; alone or in groups on dead hardwood logs and stumps or from wounds on living hardwoods; occasionally on conifer wood. Late summer and fall.
Distribution
North America east of the Great Plains, especially north of about the 38th parallel; also recorded from Central America. Western North American reports are probably misidentifications. The European H. alpestre is virtually identical (on conifer wood) and may be the same species.
Characteristics
Fruiting body: up to about 30 cm across; tightly branched from a rooting base or core; white, aging yellowish to brownish. Spines: 0.5-4 cm long, mostly over 1 cm, densely packed, often clustered at branch tips. Flesh: white, unchanging when cut. Spore print: white. Spores: 5-6.5 µm, globose or very broadly ellipsoid, smooth, strongly amyloid. Key features: Branched (H. erinaceus is unbranched); spines longer and spores larger than in H. coralloides.
