Toothed jelly fungus, false hedgehog mushroom, cat's tongue (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum) - Spiny jellies are a fungus with a structure different from other known edible mushrooms. It has no plaques or pores and has tiny flexible spikes. The mushroom is very flexible and resembles a well cut jelly in consistency. The mushroom's young fruiting body has a tongue-like shape, but when it matures, the cap becomes semicircular. Reaches sizes up to 10 cm in diameter and 2 cm in thickness. It is attached with its side to the ground with a leg, which can be up to 5 cm long, and is often attached to another fruit body. The color of the mushroom is whitish, gray-white, purple-brown. White, gray-white spines about 3 mm long. The surface of the fungus is lumpy, rough.

The flesh is milky, translucent. Jelly to the touch, a bit like some silicone product. The smell is imperceptible, the taste is described by some as slightly fishy.

Occurrence: Pseudohydnum gelatinosum are very common from July to late fall, but can be found practically all year round. They grow on old trunks, dead branches of conifers. They need a lot of moisture and shade.

Usage: According to some mycologists, the mushroom can be eaten only after it has been burned. Others say the mushroom is not poisonous but inedible. And there is also a group of enthusiasts who say that the mushroom is also edible raw. Sprinkled with lemon and eaten raw, it tastes like an oyster. I don't know, I've never eaten oysters.