honey fungus (Armillaria mellea)
Armillaria mellea grows in dense clusters of hardwood and has a honey yellow cap with fine slopes and a distinct ring. It is only well cooked edible and is not tolerated by everyone.
Scientific name: Armillaria mellea
Features
The cap is 3 to 12 cm wide, honey yellow to yellow brown, in the middle with fine, dark bobbins. The gills are whitish to cream-coloured, blotchy brown in old age and slightly descending. The stem is long, fibrous, tapered at the bottom and carries a strong, skinned, yellowish ring. A volva is missing. Raw it smells mushroomy and tastes scratchy; do not try it raw. The flesh is whitish, tough in the stem, and does not discolour. White to cream white
Habitat
Especially hardwood, as a parasite or on dead wood; also over roots in parks and gardens.. Wood, stumps and roots.. From the lowlands to the mountains.
Season
June to November Mainly in late summer and autumn, often around the end of September.
Weather and fruiting
Only young and well cooked; ring and clustered growth. After moisture on wood — rule out funeral bell and other wood fungi.
Lookalike risk
Funeral bell: It is much smaller, has a skinned, transient ring, a silvery overfibered stem under the ring and rust brown spore print. Sulphur tuft: It has sulphur yellow to greenish gills, no ring and tastes bitter. Sheathed woodtuft: Cap hygrophan two-coloured, stem shingled brown under the ring, spore print brown; Confusion with Galerina marginata is possible.
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FAQ
What does the map show?
Weather-based foraging chances, not a guarantee that fruit bodies stand at the pin.
Can I eat this mushroom?
No page replaces identification. If unsure, leave it or ask an expert.
Honey Fungus: is it edible?
Yes, but only with restrictions. Raw poisonous and not for everyone; the most dangerous confusion is the deadly poisonous Galerina marginata, which also has a ring.
Honey Fungus: when and where does it grow?
In central Europe the season runs June to November. Mainly in late summer and autumn, often around the end of September. Habitat: Especially hardwood, as a parasite or on dead wood; also over roots in parks and gardens.
Honey Fungus: what are the lookalikes?
The most important distinction is from Funeral bell (Galerina marginata, deadly poisonous): It is much smaller, has a skinned, transient ring, a silvery overfibered stem under the ring and rust brown spore print. Other lookalikes: Sulphur tuft, Sheathed woodtuft.
When is a trip worth it?
Only young and well cooked; ring and clustered growth. After moisture on wood — rule out funeral bell and other wood fungi.