Pileus smooth and even when young. Flesh whitish. Spores grayish-brown. Spines whitish, giving the lower surface a much lighter appearance than the upper.
Under hemlock and spruce in West Virginia, 1884. McIlvaine.
Caps are good when sliced thin and well cooked.
H. subsquamo´sum Batsch. Pileus fleshy, somewhat convex, subumbilicate, brownish-rust color, superficial scales soon dropping off; spotted with brown. Stem stout, unequal, smooth. Spines whitish, becoming brown, apex remaining whitish. North Carolina, Curtis; Alabama, Peters; Massachusetts, Sprague. Edible. Curtis. Edible. Cordier.
Hydnum repandum.
H. repan´dum L.—repandus, bent backward (of the cap, upward). Pileus 2–6 in. broad, pallid, etc., fleshy, fragile, somewhat repand, rather smooth. Stem 2–5 in. long, ½-1½ in. thick, irregularly shaped, pallid. Spines 4 lines long, unequal, of the same color. Stevenson.
Spores pointed, 5–8µ Massee.
Pileus sometimes depressed, often turned upward at margin, often waved, sometimes tomentose. Color variable—light-buff, brown, pinkish, reddish. Flesh whitish, compact, fragile. Spines conical, up to ¼ in. in length, whitish but rich creamy shades, mostly pointed, but sometimes appearing to be hollow. Stem central or eccentric, sometimes covered with white down, thick, uneven, usually crooked, solid, fleshy, light in color.