Hericium Erinaceus (Igelstachelbart, Affenkopfpilz, Löwenmähne, Pom-Pom)
Hericium Erinaceus, also known as Lion's Mane, is considered a very special delicacy among edible mushrooms in Asia mainly because of its delicate flavors. Its appearance is also remarkably unusual. The fruiting body of this mushroom looks almost like a fur or coral, consisting entirely of downward pointing, two to 6 centimeter long thin "spines". This impressive appearance has earned the Hericium the nicknames "lion's mane" and very rightly so. Modern cultivated forms have shorter spines and often look sponge-like.
The fungus grows on snags or the wounds of older or dead deciduous trees and is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. Circumstantial evidence shows that Hericium was a well-known vital mushroom not only in Asian herbalism, but also among North American indigenous peoples.