Dear, but not walking CABBAGEHEAD WRINKLE

I first encountered one of Lithuania's most impressive mushrooms last year, hurrying through my favorite forest. This time, however, we were able to spend more time with this beauty, get to know it properly, and even have a photoshoot.

What does this lumpy, wrinkled creature remind you of? Judging by its English name – cauliflower (Cauliflower fungus). In Lithuanian, it's called KOPŪSTGALVIO RAUKŠLIUS (Latin: Sparassis crispa) – this time even I have no complaints about the name :D Well done!

Seeing wrinkles – a good sign!

If you found these wrinkles, you might do a little dance of joy, because it's still a relatively rare mushroom in Lithuania, even though it has been removed from the Red Book. Like most mushrooms teetering on the brink of extinction, this one also thrives in mature forests with old trees. So, if you spot this mushroom – you're doubly lucky, as you're likely walking among ancient pines. This mushroom doesn't bother with young saplings. In Lithuania, it usually grows in the vicinity of an old pine tree. This mushroom grows on and feeds on tree roots. In some cases, it can take advantage and start decaying the roots of a still-living tree if the tree is weakened and/or its roots are damaged. But it will happily feast on dead pine roots as well. So, if you see a wrinkled mushroom nestled near a pine tree, it means its root-like stem, which is unseen, is attached to the roots of that pine. Sometimes that "root" can be almost 2 meters long!

So, does this mushroom do more harm or good?

But let's not be too quick to dismiss the Cauliflower Mushroom as a bad mushroom or forest villain. Let's not forget that in nature, not everything is black or white. The same goes for this mushroom. Many different organisms compete for food in nature. Mushrooms also have to fight each other for a tastier bite of wood. And scientists have discovered that the seemingly harmless Cauliflower Mushroom is quite a contender in this struggle for existence, as it can produce at least 3 different chemical substances that repel or even kill other parasitic or deadwood-loving fungi. One such substance is the antibiotic sparassol (named after the mushroom's Latin name). Not many mushrooms can compete with such an arsenal. Even the quickly spreading and tree-invading honey fungus wouldn't stand a chance against the Cauliflower Mushroom's "medicine." And the Cauliflower Mushroom not only provides these substances to competing fungi, but they are also found in the wood it consumes. Thus, the entire tree becomes protected from other interested parties. So, the renowned mycologist Paul Stamets wonders if an old pine tree taken under the care of the non-aggressive parasitic Cauliflower Mushroom might expect a longer life than if it grew on its own amidst honey fungi, root rots, and other predatory fungi? Ah, these mushrooms always throw up such intriguingly complex questions!

Edible, butt...

By the way, when curious mushroom pickers ask me THAT most important question, "Is it edible??", having nowhere to hide, I grudgingly mumble, "Yeees, it's edible." BUT do we really need to eat everything we find? That's why I always advocate for admiring rare mushrooms, being interested in them, and protecting their habitats, rather than rushing to pick and eat them.

Have wonderful, intricate discoveries in the forest!