Cauliflower Fungus

Fruiting Body

All the visible parts above ground are fattened lobes looking similar to a sea sponge, brain or cauliflower. Can be light brown, buff to yellow/grey to creamy white.

Pores

There are no gills, this mushroom has flattened lobes with tiny pores.

Habitat

On the roots of conifers especially pine but can be found at the base of trunks or stumps.

Possible Confusion

Sparassis spathulata and Sparassis brevipes are almost identical looking mushrooms which generally grow with broadleaf trees but can be found with pine.. Some mycologists consider other species in the Sparassis genus to exist, but this is of little interest for the forager as none are poisonous.
You are unlikely to confuse these species with anything else in Great Britain.

Spore Print

Colourless unless in large amounts when they appear pale yellow. Subglobose to ellipsoid to ovoid.

Taste / Smell

Tasty when young and fresh but needing a good wash and inspection before cooking and eating.
Once it becomes yellow and starts to decay it’s better left behind as it becomes rather indigestible. Should be cooked before consumption.

Frequency

Uncommon.

Other Facts

One mushroom found in the south of France weighed nearly thirty kilos.
They have been shown to have anti-tumour properties, and to contain chemicals which may stimulate the immune system.

These mushrooms have been successfully cultivated in Asia and North America.