Steccherinum

Steccherinum was described in 1821 (Gray 1821) with Steccherinum ochraceum (Pers.) Gray 1821 (= Hydnum ochraceum Pers.) as the type species, and currently comprises about 33 species (Kirk et al. 2008). The genus is characterized by resupinate, effused-reflexed to subpileate or pileate basidiomata with an odontoid to hydnoid hymenophore. The hyphal system is dimitic or pseudodimitic, generative hyphae thin-walled, with or without clamps, skeletal hyphae thick-walled, without clamps, some characteristically encrusted at the apices and penetrating the hymenial layer as pseudocystidia, as a rule numerous and thick-walled (Eriksson et al. 1984). The basidiospores are usually ellipsoid, smooth, and thin-walled. Recently, Miettinen et al. (2012) demonstrated that the genus is monophyletic and morphologically heterogeneous, comprising both poroid and hydnoid fungi.