猴头产于河南卢氏、栾川、嵩县、西峡、镇平、内乡等县的深山区。多属野生，品种较多，有的块状无柄，也有的呈椭圆形有柄分叉。
        
    猴头是一种大型真菌植物，属担子菌纲，多孔目，齿菌科，猴头属。猴头多寄生在桦树树干上，常成对生长。
        
    野生猴头多生育深山密林，潮湿温和，空气流通之处。在成长、发育期中，体内多为营养体和繁殖体两部分。营养体又叫菌丝体、菌丝白色呈念珠状，其功能是从寄主中吸收水分和养分。涨到一定时期，才在寄主体上生出繁殖体，这是食用部分，称子实体。
猴头菌是一种药食两用的真菌，性平，味甘，利五脏，助消化，滋补，抗癌、治疗神经衰弱。经过深层发酵的培养物经分离提取所得，主要成分为多糖、氨基酸等，是猴菇菌片、复方胃宁片等制剂的原料。广泛应用于医药领域。
      
    猴头菌营养价值极高，其营养体和繁殖体中含有多种肽、多种糖类，多种维生素等，它有修复、增强细胞活力，抗菌，延年益寿的功效。
       
    河南猴头原以野生为主，产量和商品量均不大，镇平县高丘北山中产者较多。鲁山县原四区山中也较多。近几年，卢氏、栾川等县试制人工培植“猴头菌原”成功。随着培植技术的提高，猴头生产可望发展。



    Hefgehog hydnumes are mostly produced in deep mountain regions in Lushi, Luanchuan, Songxian, Xixia and other counties. Most of them are wild and in various varieties. Hefgehog hydnum is a large fungus plant which belongs to Basidiomycotina, Polyporales, Hydnaceae and   Hericium. They always grow on tree trunks of birches in pairs in moderate, moist and circulated forest. It is a fungus used to make food as well as medicines, which can benefit the five internal organs, help digest, nourish bodies, prevent cancers, help cure neurasthenia, etc. Thus, it contains extremely high nutritious values. In recent years, Lushi, Luanchuan and other counties have cultivated hefgehog hydnumes artificially successfully which make a great contribution to its development and enlarging yield.