A stalked tooth fungus with a velvety cap that starts whitish, often purplish-tinged, and darkens to gray-brown or black from the centre. The flesh smells of fenugreek when dry and has a hard black lower layer. It is the type species of Phellodon; North American collections under this name probably represent a separate, look-alike species.
Inedible; tough and fibrous. Used for dyeing wool, giving gray-blue to green colors.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Habitat
Ectomycorrhizal; in Europe documented with Norway spruce. In North America on the ground, scattered or fused, usually under conifers and sometimes under hardwoods; summer and fall.
Help build this page
This page grows with the community. Here is what it is still missing:
Photos. None yet — moderators review each photo before it appears.Sign in to add a photo
Sightings. Spotted it in the wild? Add it to the map.Open the map
Strains. No public strains of this species on WeMush yet.
Track Your Own Black Tooth Grows
Join WeMush to log cultivation data, discover strains, and connect with fellow growers.
Widespread in Europe. Reported from North America, but North American collections under this name differ genetically from European material and probably represent a separate, look-alike species. The similar Phellodon alboniger is widely distributed in eastern North America.
Characteristics
Cap: up to about 5 cm, velvety, whitish with purplish tints when young, darkening to gray, gray-brown or black at the centre; caps often fused. Spines: gray, decurrent. Stem: short. Flesh: two-layered, with a hard black lower layer; fenugreek odor when dry. Spore print: white. Microscopy: spores small, ellipsoid to subglobose, spiny, hyaline.
