Bleeding Tooth Mushroom For Freaky Friday...!

Just in time for Halloween, it's a scary look at one strange little mushroom.

I know I should call it fungus instead of mushroom, but I've been calling 'em mushrooms since I was a kid and changing now would just be too troublesome. I'm fairly set in my ways, ya know?

Devil’s Tooth

Photo credit: Bernypisa

Hydnellum peckii goes by many common names: bleeding-tooth fungus, strawberries and cream, red-juice tooth, and Devil’s tooth. All refer to the shocking appearance of the fungus. From the top of the cap, a vivid red fluid is exuded.

The fungus lives with pine trees, attached to their roots, and helps them to gain nutrients from the soil. This is a common strategy, and many plants exist in a symbiotic relationship with fungi. The fine strands of the fungi can penetrate more efficiently into the soil than roots. The plants provide the fungi with sugars, and the fungi offer mineral nutrients in return.

No one is certain why the fungus produces the bloodlike substance. Analysis of the fluid has found that it contains atromentin, a chemical with anticoagulant properties. So the bleeding-tooth fungus could be effective in making you bleed.

I'm sure that I did a post about this strange looking plant before, but I figured that we should view it again for Freaky Friday, cause if this ain't freaky then nothing is!

Coffee out on the patio again today! Back to Summer weather with temps in the high 80s.