[2][3] Hydnellum aurantiacum was first described by the German naturalist August Batsch in 1789, with the name Hydnum suberosum var.

The flesh is tough and woody, pale to dark orange-brown in color, without any distinctive odor but a bitter or mealy taste.

[14] The species resembles the polypore Phaeolus schweinitzii when viewed from the top of the cap surface, but it has teeth instead of pores on the hymenium.

Closely related and morphologically similar species in the genus Hydnellum include H. auratile (has more uniformly coloured flesh), H. caeruleum (may look similar in age),[15] H. congenum (has thin flesh in the cap), H. ferrugipes, H. earlianum (has a smoother cap, and spines have sulfur-yellow tips, not white).

[6] Hydnellum aurantiacum has been reported from Australia,[17] Europe, North America,[18] and Asia, including China[19] India,[20] and Korea.

[22] The pigment responsible for the characteristic orange color of H. aurantiacum has been identified as the p-terphenyl compound named aurantiacin.