 Hydnellum diabolus ( the species epithet is given the neuter diabolum in some publications ) has a very similar appearance , so much so that some consider it and H. peckii to be synonymous ; H. diabolus is said to have a sweetish pungent odor that is lacking in H. peckii . The differences between the two species are amplified in mature specimens : H. diabolus has an irregularly thickened stem , while the stem of H. peckii is thickened by a " definite spongy layer " . Additionally , old specimens of H. peckii have a smooth cap , while H. diabolus is tomentose . The related species H. pineticola also exudes pink droplets of liquid when young and moist . Commonly found growing under conifers in northeastern North America , H. pineticola tastes " unpleasant " , but not acrid . Fruit bodies tend to grow singly , rather than in fused clusters , and , unlike H. peckii , they do not have bulbous stems . 
