Choice
Cauliflower mushroom
Sparassis crispa, S. spathulata
The character that does the work
A cream mass of flat wavy ribbons at the foot of a conifer. Nothing harmful resembles it.
The specimen sheet, in examination order
01Cap
A cream to pale tan mass 15 to 40 cm across of flattened wavy ribbons, like a sea sponge or a loofah.
02Underside
The fertile surface is spread over the ribbons.
03Stem, and the base
A rooting base attached to conifer roots or the stump.
04Flesh, cut
Pale, firm, slightly elastic.
05Spore print
White to cream
How to take one06Where it grows
At the base of conifers, especially pine, where it is a root parasite. Returns to the same tree for years.
When to look
Typically Aug to Nov in the northern hemisphere. Fruiting swings by weeks with rainfall and by a month or more with latitude, so this is when to look rather than when it will be there.
Europe and North America.
What is worth knowing about it
Distinctive, large and with no dangerous look-alike, which puts it in the small group of wild mushrooms worth learning first. The difficulty is entirely in the washing: every fold collects conifer needles and grit.
Confused with
- Nothing dangerous
In the kitchen
Cut the base off, split the ribbons, and rinse in several changes of water despite the general rule against soaking. It stays crisp through long cooking, which makes it unusual and very good in soups.
The techniques, and why they workThis page tells you what to check. It does not tell you the mushroom in your hand is that species, and it cannot. If you are not certain, do not eat it. If you have already eaten something and feel unwell, contact a poison centre and keep an uncooked specimen.
Others in this group