Hydnellum mirabile

Caps of Hydnellum mirabile are brownish to dark brown with yellow edges, and have a hairy surface. They are funnel-shaped. The stipe measures 10–50 by 10–25 mm and is dark brown and hairy at the base. On the cap underside (the hymenium) hang brownish spines with paler tips. The spores are roughly spherical with tubercles on the surface, and measure 5–7 by 4.5–6 μm. It has a weakly astringent taste. The spore print is buff brown.

H. mirabile is found in Europe, where it grows in old-growth, coniferous forests on base-rich or chalky soils. This rare fungus forms ectomycorrhizal associations primarily with the Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and occasionally with Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris). H. mirabile requires specific ecological conditions that limit the species' realized niche. The fungi is often referred to as an indicator species for biodiversity because it can often be found growing amongst other rare species of fungi that also favor environments with lower levels of disturbances.