Cauliflower fungus - Sparassis crispa
- The Foraging Course Company
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - novice Season - summer to autumn Common names Cauliflower fungus, wood cauliflower, cauliflower mushroom,
Scientific name meaning: Sparissis comes from the Greek word Sparagmos meaning to tear. Crispa is from the Latin Crispo, meaning to curl
Habitat  Cauliflower fungus is saprobic (living on dead or dying matter) on coniferous wood particularly pine. |
Fruit body  The fruit body can reach up to 40cm wide and 25cm tall. Cream coloured when young, but browning with age, it has many folds of scraggy flesh, resembling a bundle of pale-coloured seaweed. The pores are too small to see with the naked eye. It has no discernible stem, and a sweet smell and taste. The spore colour is dirty white. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with the Spatula Cauliflower (Sparissis spathulata), but the folded flesh is much flatter. It is also edible but not considered as tasty. Could also be confused with Hen of the Wood (Grifola frondosa), pictured, but this has thicker flesh, is more grey coloured and grows on oak. It is also edible. |
Use as a food Cauliflower fungus has a lovely hazelnut-like taste and a chewy texture.
Only young, fresh specimens should be used for eating. Older specimens are tough and full of forest detritus Hazards This mushroom is often very dirty and requires extensive cleaning
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Has been found to increase wound healing in diabetes mellitus patients, increase haemoglobin production, have anti-tumour properties, and have anti-fungal properties under lab conditions
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known at time of writing Importance to other species Provides food for invertebrates
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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