Living Beings
    Source-identified Hericium erinaceus; Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. Framed for display
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    Hericium erinaceus 02.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. Властарь derivative work: Xth-Floor (brightness, contrast) · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Field guide · species

    Lion’s Mane Fungus

    Hericium erinaceus

    FungiAgaricomycetesRussulalesHericiaceae

    Lion’s mane forms a pale mass of dangling teeth on hardwood. These teeth carry the spore-producing surface, replacing the familiar gills of many cap-and-stem mushrooms.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomFungi
    4. PhylumBasidiomycota
    5. ClassAgaricomycetes
    6. OrderRussulales
    7. FamilyHericiaceae
    8. GenusHericium
    9. SpeciesHericium erinaceus
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Fungi kingdom
    5. Dikarya subkingdom
    6. Basidiomycota phylum
    7. Agaricomycotina subphylum
    8. Agaricomycetes class
    9. Agaricomycetes incertae sedis no rank
    10. Russulales order
    11. Hericiaceae family
    12. Hericium genus
    13. Hericium erinaceus species
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    Structure and identification

    A mature fruiting body develops long, hanging spines from an essentially unbranched mass. Older tissue can become yellowish or brownish.

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    Habitat and range

    Wounds in living hardwood trees and recently dead wood are characteristic sites. The fungal mycelium extends within the wood.

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    Nutrition and metabolism

    It obtains nutrients from wood and can live in association with a living tree as well as decomposing dead material.

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    Reproduction and life cycle

    The fruiting body releases spores from surfaces on its hanging teeth. The vegetative fungal network is a separate, longer-lasting part of the organism.

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    Geographic distribution

    Records occur in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The currently used name may conceal geographically structured diversity, so a broad distribution does not prove all populations are identical.

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    Ecological role

    Its activity contributes to the changing structure and decomposition of hardwood.

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    Distinctive adaptations

    Immature branched Hericium species can resemble a young lion’s mane. Mature architecture is more informative than a white, fuzzy appearance alone.

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    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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