Hericium ramosum (Bull. ex Mérat) Let. Fruit body a mass of white, long, multiple branched stems covered with large numbers of very small spines. Whole fungus 10-25cm across, 10-15cm high; stems thin, branched, covered on both sides with spines 0.5-1cm long. Flesh soft, brittle; white. Odor pleasant. Taste pleasant. Spores ellipsoid, smooth to finely roughened, 3-5 x 3-4µ. Deposit white. Habitat on fallen logs of beech and maple. Found throughout North America. Season August-October. Edible-good. Comment Easily distinguished from the rather similar Hericium coralloides (below) by its much shorter spines growing along the whole length of the thin branches. A pink form of Hericium ramosum turned up at a foray in Oneonta, New York; it was referred to as Hericium ramosum var. rosea, of which I can find no trace in the literature.