Had the same thought and went through a few different fungi groups to figure out why it wasn't hydnellum peckii.
First and foremost this is growing on dead wood and not in the ground. Hard to tell from the picture, but it is on the wood. Hydnellum peckii is mycorrizal. This also has no spines on it that would be present if it were hydnellum peckii. Another clue to distinguish from a young hydnellum peckii is that they fruit fairly early, late summer through fall, and they only bleed when very young. If I had found hydnellum at this point it would be between well developed and rotten.
On the other side of this log were some more mature species of Rhodofomes Cajanderi which made identifying this little shit that much easier.
So yeah. That's how we know this is not hydnellum peckii
Looks kinda like a hydnellum peckii
Had the same thought and went through a few different fungi groups to figure out why it wasn't hydnellum peckii.
First and foremost this is growing on dead wood and not in the ground. Hard to tell from the picture, but it is on the wood. Hydnellum peckii is mycorrizal. This also has no spines on it that would be present if it were hydnellum peckii. Another clue to distinguish from a young hydnellum peckii is that they fruit fairly early, late summer through fall, and they only bleed when very young. If I had found hydnellum at this point it would be between well developed and rotten.
On the other side of this log were some more mature species of Rhodofomes Cajanderi which made identifying this little shit that much easier.
So yeah. That's how we know this is not hydnellum peckii
Good to know! A beautiful find regardless