 The fungus is classified in the <unk> ( species thought to be descendants of a common ancestor ) <unk> of the genus Hydnellum , a grouping of similar species with the following shared characteristics : flesh that is marked with concentric lines that form alternating pale and darker zones ( <unk> ) ; an extremely <unk> taste ; a <unk> odor ; spores that are ellipsoid , and not amyloid ( that is , not absorbing iodine when stained with Melzer 's reagent ) , <unk> ( not staining with the reagent Cotton Blue ) , and covered with <unk> ; the presence of clamp connections in the hyphae . Molecular analysis based on the sequences of the internal transcribed <unk> DNA of several Hydnellum species placed H. peckii as most closely related to H. <unk> and H. <unk> . 
