Monitoring Report: Hydnellum peckii, a mesmerizing mushroom

By: David Ryan, Monitoring Coordinator
Photo credit to David Ryan unless otherwise noted.

The forest never ceases to amaze me, and it’s pretty cool to keep finding new things after all these years. My colleague and I were conducting stand exams on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest when we came across a variety of mushroom that I have never seen before. This striking fungus is Hydnellum peckii. In its youth, this fungus appears as we found it, cream colored with viscous red drops exuding forth in a process called guttation. This extraordinary feature has earned this mushroom names such as bleeding tooth, red-juice tooth, Devil’s tooth, and strawberries & cream. Despite that last name, Devil’s tooth is not considered edible. It is not toxic in a medically significant way, but it is said to be very foul tasting and may cause gastric distress.

Devil’s tooth occurs in conifer-dominated forests across the northern hemisphere. It is a mycorrhizal fungus that is part of the “wood wide web”. Specifically, it is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that attaches to trees via a sheath formed around roots. By this means, it forms a mutualistic relationship with host trees: the fungus provides minerals and amino acids to the tree, and the tree provides carbon to the fungus. It is slow-growing and considered to be a late-stage fungus that is found predominantly in mature, species-rich stands. As the mushroom ages, it loses its cream color and red droplets and becomes a nondescript brown or beige.

Mature H. peckii. Image credit: mycobank.org

Hydnellum peckii extracts may have anti-coagulant and anti-bacterial properties and scientists are researching other medicinal uses of the chemical compounds. It is a prized mushroom for creating dyes of various colors depending on the life stage at which it is gathered.

Although it is not necessarily a rare mushroom, it was my first time seeing one in my years afield. For those who are familiar with the films of Studio Ghibli, these mushrooms brought to mind the Kodama, or forest spirits of the movie Princess Mononoke. These spirits of Japanese folklore have a variety of representations, but they are considered sacred spirits of trees and protectors of the forest that bring health and vitality. And I kind of felt that upon seeing these fascinating mushrooms.

Kodama forest spirits as depicted in Princess Mononoke (Studio Ghibli).

References:

Hydnellum peckii Banker. (n.d.). https://www.gbif.org/species/2522210

Jenny. (2023, June 12). Devil's Tooth Fungus: Identification, Lookalikes, and Uses - Mushroom Appreciation. Mushroom Appreciation. https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/devils-tooth-fungus.html

Matt, & Matt. (2024, August 24). Kodama | Yokai.com. Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/kodama/#:~:text=Kodama%20%7C%20Yokai.com,a%20kodama%20is%20living%20inside.

https://www.mycobank.org/

VISSER, S. (1995), Ectomycorrhizal fungal succession in jack pine stands following wildfire. New Phytologist, 129: 389-401. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1995.tb04309.x

Weird & Wonderful Creatures: Bleeding tooth fungus | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (n.d.). American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). https://www.aaas.org/news/weird-wonderful-creatures-bleeding-tooth-fungus

Wikipedia contributors. (2025, July 23). Main page. https://en.wikipedia.org/

Wiki, C. T. G. (n.d.). Kodama. Ghibli Wiki. https://ghibli.fandom.com/wiki/Kodama