Two New Species of Mushroom Found on Iberian Peninsula
Posted on March 4, 2013
Two new species of Wood Hedgehog or Hedgehog mushroom have been discovered on the Iberian Peninsula. Hydnum ovoideisporum are pictured above and Hydnum vesterholtii are pictured below. The scientists say many Hydnum genus mushrooms are edible. No Hydnum mushrooms are known to be poisonous and the scientists believe it is likely these mushrooms have been eaten by humans. The scientists say the edible nature of the mushrooms is also possibly a reason they have never been identified as a distinct species.
Mr Ibai Olariaga Ibarguren, lead researcher of the study at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) to the Spanish-based SINC, said in the announcement, "In the work we describe two new species: Hydnum ovoideisporum and Hydnum vesterholtii, which belong to a genus colloquially called 'Hedgehog mushrooms'. Although many of the mushrooms of this genus are eaten in various parts of the world, paradoxically there are very few serious and recent works clarifying exactly how many species there are and how they are different."
The new mushrooms were described in a study published in the Mycologia journal.