Hericium americanum

Hericium americanum, commonly known as the bear's head tooth fungus is an edible mushroom^[1] in the tooth fungus group. It was described as new to science in 1984 by Canadian mycologist James Herbert Ginns.^[2]

Hericium americanum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Russulales
Family:	Hericiaceae
Genus:	Hericium
Species:	H. americanum
Binomial name
Hericium americanum Ginns (1984)

The fungus is commonly found on decaying trees in the Northern United States and Canada. It grows exceptionally well in the environment of temperate deciduous forests. In the Pacific Northwest, it can be found in October and November.^[3]

It was designated as Vermont's state mushroom on May 7, 2024.^[4]

References

1. Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuides. p. 408. ISBN 978-0-7627-3109-1.
2. Ginns (1984). "Hericium coralloides N. Amer. auct. (= H. americanum sp.nov.) and the European H. alpestre and H. coralloides". Mycotaxon. 20 (1): 39–43.
3. "Seasonal Chart for Edible Mushrooms". Central Oregon Mushroom Club. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
4. Stewart, Megan. ""Hedgehog of the Americas": Vermont designates state mushroom". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 2024-09-30.

Further reading

• Song, Xun; Gaascht, François; Schmidt-Dannert, Claudia; Salomon, Christine E. (2020). "Discovery of Antifungal and Biofilm Preventative Compounds from Mycelial Cultures of a Unique North American Hericium sp. Fungus". Molecules. 25 (4): 963. doi:10.3390/molecules25040963. PMC 7070493. PMID 32093422.
• Grace, Jeanne; Mudge, Kenneth W. (2015). "Production of Hericium sp. (Lion's Mane) mushrooms on totem logs in a forest farming system". Agroforestry Systems. 89 (3): 549–556. doi:10.1007/s10457-015-9790-1. S2CID 15267536.

External links

• Media related to Hericium americanum at Wikimedia Commons
• Hericium americanum in Index Fungorum