Hericium coralloides (Fr.) S. F. Gray Fruit body a mass of tufted stems, each with many pendant spines. Whole fungus may be 15-30cm across and 20-40cm high; branches are white and stout and branch repeatedly from a central, basal point; tip of each branch has white spines 0.5-2cm long, in clusters like hands. Flesh firm; white. Odor pleasant. Taste pleasant. Spores ellipsoid, smooth or very finely roughened, 5-7 x 4,5-6µ. Deposit white. Habitat on both fallen timber and living trees, especially beech and maple. Found in northeastern North America, south to North Carolina. Season August-October. Edible - good. Comment The true Hericium coralloides, according to some mycologists, is strictly European, and the correct name for this fungus may eventually be Hericium americanum.