Coral tooth fungus

About

Hericium coralloides resembles not a typical mushroom, but a white sea coral or icicles. It grows on dead trunks, stumps, and fallen wood of broadleaf trees, less often conifers, from summer to autumn. It is most often seen where old and dead trees are left in the forest — in reserves and old beech or oak forests.

The fruiting body is highly branched, generally rounded, usually 10–30 cm in diameter, white or cream. The branches are densely covered underneath and on the sides with thin pointed spines about 1–1.5 cm long, hanging downwards. With age, the fungus turns yellow and brown, and the branches become brittle. The flesh is white, brittle, with a weak smell.

The fungus causes white rot in wood and depends on whether dead trees remain in the forest. In Ukraine, the species is listed in the Red Book with a status of 'vulnerable', so collecting it is prohibited. It is also protected in several neighboring countries, including Poland.

Young fruiting bodies are described in guides as edible, and in Poland, only Hericium from plantations is allowed to be sold. So if you come across a white 'coral' on a beech log, just take a photo of it without breaking it off. A similar species, Hericium erinaceus, has one compact 'pillow' of long spines, rather than a branched body; it is even rarer and has a status of 'endangered' in the Red Book.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Ukraine · Slovakia · Hungary · Romania · Poland · Czechia

Mountain ranges

Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Rivna Polonyna, Bieszczady, Mátra, Polonynian Ridge, Strážov Mountains, Gorgany

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

A species from the Red Book of Ukraine: collecting is prohibited.

Look-alikes — how to tell them apart

Protection and rules

Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine (vulnerable). Collecting is prohibited — take a photo and leave it on the wood.

Admire, don’t pick: plants listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine — and any plants in nature reserves and strictly protected zones of national parks — must not be collected.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ