Sparassis crispa: The Cauliflower Mushroom

[ Basidiomycetes > Polyporales > Sparassidaceae > Sparassis . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This large, unmistakable fungus can be found growing from the bases or roots of trees in summer and fall--or in winter, in warmer climes. It is a popular edible, and by most accounts it is exceptionally good. I have not tried it; the few specimens I've found over the years have been, shall we say, past their prime.

Though I argue elsewhere that comparing mushrooms to photographs is a poor way to identify them, I am willing to make an exception for Sparassis crispa. Take a look at the photographs to the right, add the fact that the fungus is quite large (it is reported up to 60 cm high in the Pacific Northwest!), and you will have a much better mental picture of the Cauliflower Mushroom than I or anyone else can create with words--though I rather enjoy Alexander Smith's "[f]ruiting body of firm, broad, flattened branches resembling a cluster of egg noodles arising from a thick rooting base" (1981, p. 80).

Speaking of clusters, Sparassis crispa should probably be treated as a "species cluster," since the egg noodles of academic mycology have been arguing about species distinctions for years; see the comments below if you care.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic; growing from the roots or bases of trees; under conifers in western North America; under hardwoods or conifers in the east; often recurring yearly; summer and fall (winter in California); widely distributed.

Fruiting Body: 12-60 cm broad; composed of tightly packed, flattened branches arising from a central stem; the branches with crisp ends; whitish to yellowish or tan, discoloring in age; stem tough, buried deeply (see comments below), 5-13 cm long.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 5-7 x 3-5 µ; smooth; broadly elliptical.

REFERENCES: Wulfen ex Fries. (Smith, 1949; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992.)

Sparassis is a small genus, but figuring out the handful of species appears to depend on your reading material. Peck recognized the eastern species Sparassis herbstii, with less tightly packed lobes. S. spathulata appears to be a synonym for S. herbstii. Some authors, however, synonymize S. herbstii with S. crispa. The principal distinction seems to be between the eastern species and the larger, western species, which has thinner branches and a longer, rooting stem. It is usually classified as S. radicata. Arora (1986), however, says that the western species is the "'true'" S. crispa--while the eastern species should be called S. spathulata or S. herbstii (657).

Further Online Information:

Sparassis crispa at Roger's Mushrooms
Sparassis crispa at Fungi of Poland

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2003, June). Sparassis crispa: The cauliflower mushroom. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/sparassis_crispa.html