Pholiota squarrosoides

The species can commonly be found in late summer in the Great Lakes states, the Pacific Northwest, and eastern North America. Its habitat is on the bark of hardwood trees.^[1] It is rarely found in Europe, but the first specimen in Poland was discovered in 2010 in the southwestern part of the country.^[5] The Poland discovery happened at the Łężczok Nature Reserve near the town of Racibórz. The mushroom might also be found in the temperate regions of Asia.^[5] Although the mushroom is considered a saprophyte, rather than a parasite, it can cause the wood to degrade rapidly. In the Great Lakes region, it decays logs of the trees Acer saccharum and Tilia glabra.^[5]

The species was reported as edible "with caution" by Kent and Vera McKnight, but that it can be confused with the poisonous P. squarrosa.^[3] Mycologist Alexander H. Smith wrote that it is the best edible species in its genus.^[1] Orson K. Miller Jr. and Roger Phillips regard it as edible,^[6][7] but a description provided by the University of Arkansas states that it is not.^[4]