About Beenakia dacostae D.A.Reid
Beenakia dacostae D.A.Reid is a small stalked fungus commonly found growing on dry woody debris or rotten branches in wet eucalypt forests. It has a very smooth, white, wavy cap, and pale olive-brown teeth underneath the cap that are long, pointed, and extend part way down the stem. The fungus has a thin, woody, smooth white stem that is often stained pale brown by spores. Caps can reach up to 25 mm in diameter, and are round to kidney-shaped, becoming flat to wavy with age. Caps range in colour from white and cream to ochre, drying to yellow-brown. The cap surface is smooth or cottony with soft matted hairs, and the margin is often lobed. The stem can be central, off-centre or lateral, growing up to 30 mm in length and up to 3 mm in diameter. It is often poorly developed, slightly curved, white with a yellow-brown apex, and has a woody texture that is either smooth or cottony with soft hairs. The basal mycelium is white and matted. The teeth under the cap are decurrent, growing up to 10 mm in length. They are slender, tapering to a point, crowded, and pale olive-brown. The common look-alike for this species is the toothed Wood Hedgehog (Hydnum repandum), which grows in leaf litter, is much larger with caps reaching 70 mm, has apricot tints, and has a far more robust stem. This species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
