''Hericium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

edible mushroom Edible mushrooms are the fleshy fruit bodies of numerous species of macrofungi (fungi that bear fruiting structures large enough to be seen with the naked eye). Edibility may be defined by criteria including the absence of poisonous effect ...

s in the family

Hericiaceae The Hericiaceae are a family of fungi in the order Russulales. The best known genus is ''Hericium'', species of which are valued for their medicinal properties in Oriental medicine. Taxa are mainly known from north temperate regions, and are sapr ...

. Species in this genus are white and fleshy and grow on dead or dying wood;

fruiting bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

resemble a mass of fragile icicle-like spines that are suspended from either a branched supporting framework or from a tough, unbranched cushion of tissue. Their distinctive structures have earned ''Hericium'' species a variety of

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s—monkey's head, lion's mane, and bear's head are examples. Taxonomically, this genus was previously placed within the order

Aphyllophorales The Aphyllophorales is an obsolete order of fungi in the Basidiomycota. The order is entirely artificial, bringing together a miscellany of species now grouped among the clavarioid fungi, corticioid fungi, cyphelloid fungi, hydnoid fungi, and por ...

, but recent molecular studies now place it in the

Russulales The Russulales are an order of the Agaricomycetes, (which include the agaric genera '' Russula'' and ''Lactarius'' and their polyporoid and corticioid relatives). According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the order con ...

Taxonomy

The genus ''Hericium'' was originally described by

Christian Hendrik Persoon Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (31 December 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a Cape Colony mycologist who is recognized as one of the founders of mycology, mycological Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in Cape Colony at ...

in 1794. It was mentioned by

Elias Magnus Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. He is sometimes called the Mycology, "Linnaeus of Mycology". In his works he described and assigned botanical names to hundreds of fungus and li ...

in the ''Systema Mycologicum'' (1822); Fries considered it to be synonymous with the tribe ''Merisma'' of the genus ''

Hydnum ''Hydnum'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hydnaceae. They are notable for their unusual spore-bearing structures of teeth rather than Lamella (mycology), gills. The best known are the Edible mushroom, edible species ''Hydnum repandum'' and ''H ...

''. In 1825 he recognized ''Hericium'' as a distinct genus, although not in the same sense as the genus would be known later.

Phylogeny

In 2004, the

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

relationships of ''Hericium'' species were analysed by comparing the rDNA

internal transcribed spacer Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) is the spacer DNA situated between the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and large-subunit rRNA genes in the chromosome or the corresponding transcribed region in the polycistronic rRNA precursor transcript. ...

sequences of ''H. abietis'', ''H. alpestre'', ''H. americanum'', ''H. coralloides'', ''H. erinaceum'', ''H. erinaceus'' and ''H. laciniatum''. This analysis separated ''H. erinaceum'' from the six other ''Hericium'' species, and showed that ''H. erinaceus'', ''H. abietis'', ''H. americanum'', and ''H. coralloides'' are closely related each to other but genetically diverged from ''H. alpestre'' and ''H. laciniatum''. Molecular

genetic marker A genetic marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species. It can be described as a variation (which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci) that can ...

s have been developed that allow for quick and sensitive identification of ''Hericium'' species using the

polymerase chain reaction The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to make millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample rapidly, allowing scientists to amplify a very small sample of DNA (or a part of it) sufficiently to enable detailed st ...

. The family

, to which ''Hericium'' belongs, belongs to the russuloid

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

of basidiomycetes, making it phylogenetically related to the

Auriscalpiaceae The Auriscalpiaceae are a family of fungi in the order Russulales. Like much of the Russulales, it has been defined through molecular phylogeny, and includes physically dissimilar species, such as the tooth fungus The hydnoid fungi are a group ...

, the

Bondarzewiaceae The Bondarzewiaceae are a family of fungi in the order Russulales. The type species for both its genus and the family as a whole, ''Bondarzewia montana'', closely resembles members of Polyporales (and was formerly placed there), but has ornament ...

, and the

Echinodontiaceae The Echinodontiaceae are a family of crust fungi in the order Russulales. Species of this family, divided amongst two genera—'' Echinodontium'' and '' Laurilia''—have a widespread distribution, although they are especially predominant in nort ...

Etymology

''Hericium'' means ''

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

'' in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. See Wiktionary entries ' and '.

Description

The

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

typically have short stalks and are attached laterally to the host tree. Mature specimens are easily identified by drooping spines which hang down; the spines may be arranged in clusters or more usually, in rows. Positive identification of immature specimens can be more difficult as they often begin as a single clump, developing their branches as they age. They have no caps and contain spiny

amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of typically 7–13 nm in diameter, a β-sheet secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the human ...

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s and numerous gloeopleurous

hyphae A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

filled with oil droplets. The

s are spherical to ellipsoid, smooth or covered with very fine warts.

Distribution and habitat

''Hericium'' species are found extensively in the northern parts of the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia, often growing on old, fallen logs in dark and shaded areas of

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

and Alpine forests.

Uses

''Hericium'' species are commonly found and consumed in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The species is readily cultivated. ''Hericium'' is used in the

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

of China and Japan, but there is no high-quality clinical research as of 2020 to indicate that it has any medicinal or biological properties. The genus ''Hericium'' produces the

phytochemical Phytochemicals are naturally-occurring chemicals present in or extracted from plants. Some phytochemicals are nutrients for the plant, while others are metabolites produced to enhance plant survivability and reproduction. The fields of ext ...

erinacine Erinacines are natural substances isolated from the mycelium of ''Hericium erinaceus'' (lion's mane mushroom). They belong to the group of cyathin diterpenoids (erinacines A–K, P, Q, S, U) and are subjects of pharmacological research, which larg ...

s and

hericenone Hericenone C-H Hericenones is a class of substituted benzaldehydes that are isolated from fungi in the genus '' Hericium'' (the lion's mane mushrooms) that promote nerve growth factor synthesis ''in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', o ...

s, which are cyathane

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s under

basic research Basic research, also called pure research, fundamental research, basic science, or pure science, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenome ...

Species

, Russia , - , , '' Hericium rajendrae'' , , Himalayas , - , , , '' Hericium rajchenbergii'' , , Grows on dead stems of ''

Lithraea molleoides ''Lithraea molleoides'' is a tree (2.5 and 8 m tall) that is native to South America, specially in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and the Cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Landscaping The plant is commonly considered as unsuitable to landscaping, as i ...

'', , Argentina , - , , , '' Hericium yumthangense'' , , Small rooting base, intricate three tier branching system, 8-13mm long spines , , India: Sikkim