Cauliflower Mushroom Sparassis spathulata (Schwein.) Fr.    
Kingdom Fungi   >   Phylum Basidiomycota   >   Class Agaricomycetes   >   Order Polyporales   >   Family Sparassidaceae   >   Genus Sparassis   

Description:

Fruiting body white to cream; lettuce-like folded, flattened, stiff lobes with light tips; lacks stalk and deep root. Lacks pores (J. Solem, pers. comm.).

Where to find:

Habitat: At or near base of decaying hardwoods (oaks) and conifers (pines).

There are 106 records in the project database.

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A Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (8/4/2008). Fruiting body. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

A Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (9/14/2015). Fruiting body. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

A Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (11/28/2009). Fruiting body. Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

A Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (8/6/2012). Old fruiting body. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (9/14/2015). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Carroll Co., Maryland (9/4/2020). (c) ckazyak, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by ckazyak via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom growing in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/5/2018). Determined by Jo Solem. Photo by Anne Looker. (MBP list)

A damaged Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (8/16/2011). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/2/2019). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/21/2020). (c) carolina2015, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by carolina2015 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/17/2016). (c) plaisant, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by plaisant via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/27/2020). No rights reserved. Photo by Aaron S via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/27/2020). No rights reserved. Photo by Aaron S via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom spores in Howard Co., Maryland (9/14/2015). Oval, smooth; measured 4.9 – 6.0 X 4.0 – 4.8 microns. Photo by Robert Solem. (MBP list)

Spores of Cauliflower Mushroom in Howard Co., Maryland (9/14/2015). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Charles Co., Maryland (7/24/2016). (c) Stewart Grand, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Stewart Grand via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/18/2020). (c) chipp, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by chipp via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/8/2020). (c) asagasti, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by asagasti via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/8/2020). (c) asagasti, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by asagasti via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Wicomico Co., Maryland (8/23/2020). (c) cristaylor276, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by cristaylor276 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/31/2020). (c) wearethechampignons, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by wearethechampignons via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/30/2020). (c) minuetahn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by minuetahn via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/30/2020). (c) minuetahn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by minuetahn via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/30/2020). (c) minuetahn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by minuetahn via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/7/2020). No rights reserved. Photo by Sean via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/7/2020). No rights reserved. Photo by Sean via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cauliflower Mushroom in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/3/2020). (c) tomfeild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tom Feild. (MBP list)


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