Devil's Tooth - Hydnellum Peckii

Devil's tooth - Hydnellum peckii

This post will specifically discuss the 'blood' or red liquid that Hydnellum peckii leaks.

While the adult fungus has a beige colour, the younger has a white colour and ''bleeds'' from its pores.

The red liquid the young Devil's tooth leaks is much alike to sap, caused by guttation*. When the soil surrounding the mycelium becomes very moist, it can force water into the mycelium's roots through the process of osmosis. The buildup of moisture creates a pressure within the fungus. Which, when high enough, forces the liquid to the surface of the fungi, causing it to ''bleed''. The liquid appears red thanks to the pigments found within the fungus.¹

The red liquid is actually called ''extracellular fluid''. It is thought to be a defensive mechanism of thd fungus with the goal to keep it from getting eaten by animals, or, attracting insects to help spread its spores.²

Chemical properties and medical applications

The red sap contains a chemical compound called atromentin, which has anticoagulant properties and is commonly used to help prevent blood clots from forming. The pigment-producing compound found in several fungi species, atromenin also acts as a smooth muscle stimulant and has antibacterial and antineoplastic (anticancer) properties.³

The Devil's tooth image:

AmazingLife.Bio

The Devil's Tooth (Hydnellum peckii)

This mushroom looks like something out of a horror movie, but the scariest thing about it is its taste.

Information sources:

1.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Weird & Wonderful Creatures: Bleeding Tooth Fungus

Some people think this fungus looks like a bloody tooth, while others think it resembles a tasty pastry. What do you think?

2.

https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Hydnellum_peckii

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Its allliiive, Devil Tooth Fungus - Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Hold you’re your hiking stick, because Devil Tooth Fungus might cause quite the fright if you look down and happen to see it.

3.

https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Hydnellum_peckii

More about atromentin (C18H12O6):

pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Atromentin

Atromentin | C18H12O6 | CID 99148 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biolog

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Notes:

* high root pressure

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@squidsandthings hiiya, I just did some research on the red liquid the Devil's tooth bleeds. If it interests you, you can read this post. I also added some links for further research.

@flamingears hiii, this might interest you too. I thought you mentioned liking mycology:)

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Okayy, so from what I can find, it could be a Leucocoprinus ianthinus (Sacc.) P.Mohr. I did some research about its physical appearance and properties and also found this picture:

These mushrooms look very much alike and seem to grow in the same type of environment.

If it is a Leucocoprinus ianthinus, it is a bit on the small side. What I forgot to mention in my last post, was that the stipe also had a vague ring or skirt. This is also a characteristic that the L. ianthinus has.

Unfortunately, I could find little information to identify this mushroom. It could be Leucocoprinus ianthinus (Sacc.) P.Mohr, but it might not be.

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Source image:

Text source:

en.m.wikipedia.org

Leucocoprinus ianthinus - Wikipedia

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Mutuals:

@squidsandthings

@plants-and-thingz

@flamingears

@fairy-tales-of-yesterday

@lameotello

I woke up this morning and I found the most amazing thing! In the pot of my bear's paw succulent or cotyledon tomentosa I found this small mushroom.

It's about 2 cm tall and the cap is 0,8 cm broad. The gills are white/cream coloured. Unfortunately, I could not tell what the attachment of the gills was.

In the the somewhat blurry pictures below, it seems that this small mushroom has white mycelium.

I have not been able to identify the species, I will have to put some more time into researching that:)

What I have noticed is that anytime I pick up the pot with the cotyledon tomentosa and the tiny fungus, I can immediately smell the mushroom. I do not know if that makes sense, but is has a very strong fungi smell, so much so, I can nearly taste it.

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Hiyaa! I haven't posted in forever, I've been really busy. So sorry about that! I do hope you guys enjoy this cute little fungus:)

Mutuals:

@squidsandthings

@plants-and-thingz

@lameotello

@fairy-tales-of-yesterday

@flamingears

Shaggy Inkcap - Coprinus comatus

These mushrooms are most commonly seen in grassland and other open habitats, it is also saprobic.¹ It is easy to recognize by its shaggy cap, when younger cylindrical and later on conical.

The shaggy inkcap's gills are free from the stem and release black spores.² Around the stipe it has got a ring (or as I call it: a skirt).

The pictures were taken sometime last fall, so like November 2023.

This is a spore print that I made. It can be a bit messy because the ink gets on your hands. However, it dries up like mud and you can just wipe it up, at least in my experience.

Sources used in the top paragraph (these might also be useful for if you wish to do your own research):

¹.

².

Hihi!! You like mycology right?

What's your favorite Fungi (mushroom or otherwise)? Do you have a favorite fact about them? I'd love to hear about mycology it sounds cool!!!

Hii!! Yea, I really like mycology! It's tough to pick a favorite fungi, because they're all very interesting and also beautiful.

I must say I really like shaggy inkcaps (coprinus comatus), because in the autumn they're all over the place (at least where I live). It's like they're taking over the world, which is awesome. Shaggy inkcaps I like because they're so familiar to me.

Another fungus I like is Devil's tooth or Hydnellum pecki, it's just so fascinating to me! It's so interesting to me that the fruiting bodies of this fungus can 'melt' or 'morph' together. Also the red fluid it leaks, I'm very interested in knowing what the exact chemical compounds in that fluid are and how they might react with or to other substances. I would have to do more research.

Ultimately, I don't know if I really have a favourite fungi, but the shaggy inkcap and devil's tooth certainly have a way of keeping my interest. I'm also not sure whether I have a favourite fact about them either. What is interesting, however, is that once shaggy ink caps start leaking 'ink' you can use that to make spore prints and even use it as, well, ink.

Mycology is a great topic to study. There are so many species, that differ so much from another. It's fascinating. I'll drop some links below to a few websites that you might be able to find some interesting information on. I hope this answers your questions. If you have anymore questions, I'll be happy to answer them:)

The image of the Devil's tooth fungus is from this website:

Forest floor narrative

Forest Floor Narrative

An educational platform for learning about forest ecology. Plants, fungi, insects and many other animals interact in truly captivating and c

Websites with information:

There are many more websites, but these two just offer information on a great variety of fungi.