Hydnellum peckii
Hydnellum peckii English name: Devil’s Tooth(old scientific names include Hydnum peckii, Hydnum diabolus and Hydnellum diabolus)UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species: This is one of 15 species that have been considered together for a grouped BAP. H. peckii is a dramatic species that occurs only in Scotland in the UK, supporting its spores on downward pointing teeth beneath its cap. When actively growing in damp weather, it produces clear red droplets (guttules) on the cap surface. This combination of characters along with the often fiery taste of the flesh (only taste a small amount of the flesh and only if you are sure of your identification), has probably suggested its devilish names!
Records needed: A recent desk study has gone through existing records of this species and the following spreadsheet lists all the currently known 10k squares that H. peckii occurs in. It would be very useful if people could check out suitable habitats in 10k squares with no current records so that we can build a better picture of the species distribution in Scotland. Please remember to submit your records! Species dossiers for all of the Scottish BAP species are also available with an overview of distribution and further information.
How it grows: Unlike most mushrooms and toadstools where the pileus [cap] and stipe are differentiated at an early stage and the edge of the cap has limited capacity to expand, H. peckii and its relatives, grow differently. The fruit body starts out as a vertical column of hyphae, which eventually expand at the apex to produce a cap. The edge of this cap is able to continue growing as conditions throughout the season dictate and caps will often incorporate surrounding vegetation and grow into one another forming a large mass of fertile ‘cap’ sitting on several separate stems. It is not unusual to see apparently dead fruiting bodies producing new, fertile growth as conditions become suitable again later in the season. The flesh thus develops slowly and is relatively tough – this species can remain recognizable for several months – a great help when trying to record it.
Description: H. peckii looks very different during the different stages of its development – it starts out with a very pale pink woolly covering that gradually erodes to reveal a darker red brown surface beneath. When fused together the caps can form a mass of at least 12cm across. The teeth beneath the cap can grow to almost half a centimetre but the stem is relatively short and thick – rarely more than 3 or 4 centimetres long. This species could easily be confused with H. ferrugineum (Mealy Tooth), which looks very similar and grows in the same habitat. They really require a microscope (H. peckii has clamps on the septa, H. ferrugineum doesn’t) to be sure of the determination although Mealy Tooth is supposed to have a mild taste as its name suggests. Any records of these BAP tooth fungi will be welcome.
This species is thought to be ectomycorrhizal with Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) see 'What is a Fungus' for further information about how mycorrhizas function.
Fruiting: fruit bodies start to appear in July and peak in August and September. There are no records after the end of October although it is often possible to see the mummified remains of the season’s fruit bodies right through into the following summer. These are often colonised by the tiny white fruit bodies of Collybia cirrhata (Piggyback Shanklet), which can sometimes highlight the location of a fruiting colony of tooth fungi.
Habitat: fruiting in well-drained, sandy soils under pine in old growth forests and occasionally in old established plantations, particularly if there is some link with old growth forest e.g. through physical proximity or transfer of materials. It favours areas of bare soil and often fruits along track sides or river banks – this really helps you to search. Check out this handy Plantlife guide for more information.
Distribution: as given in the Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota (Legon & Henrici 2005): for Scotland only ‘occasional or infrequently reported’ although can be locally abundant. It grows predominantly in the central and eastern regions of Scotland and is present Europe, though rare and considered endangered in some areas. Also known from north-eastern and western parts of North America.
The total number of records for this species on the Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland is 394 all from Scotland. A snapshop of the distribution from the FRDBI can be viewed on the National Biodiversity Network Gateway, although see the spreadsheet link above for a more up to date picture.