Clustered domecap or Honey fungus

Cap 4–12 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then flattening to plano-convex, almost flat in old ones, with a slightly raised center. The color varies: grayish, brownish, ochre, sometimes almost white or chocolate. The surface is smooth, dry, slightly sticky in wet weather. The skin does not peel.

The honey fungus cap is 3–12 cm across. In young mushrooms it is spherical-convex with an inrolled margin; with age it becomes flat and spreading, with a small bump in the middle.

The color varies from honey-yellow and ochre-brown to dark brown with an olive tinge — it depends on the host tree species. The surface is covered with characteristic small dark scales, especially dense in the center. In wet weather the cap is slightly slimy; in dry weather it is dry and matte.

Gills attached to the stem or slightly decurrent. White when young, turning yellowish with age, cream with an ochre tint in mature mushrooms. Crowded. Spore print white.

The hymenophore has gills. The gills are moderately crowded, thin, attached to the stem by a short tooth or running slightly down it.

In young mushrooms the color is creamy white; with age it darkens to a dirty ochre, often with rusty spore stains. In young mushrooms the veil (velum) covers the hymenophore like a membrane and later remains on the stem as a characteristic white ring — an important diagnostic feature.

Stem 5–10 cm tall, 1–3 cm thick, cylindrical, sometimes somewhat curved because of the clustered growth. Whitish gray, with no ring and no volva. At the base it is often fused with others in the cluster, forming a shared "heel".

The honey fungus stem is slender and tall: 6–15 cm tall, 0.8–2 cm thick. Cylindrical, often slightly curved, a little wider at the base. The upper part is whitish-yellow, darkening to rusty brown toward the base.

The surface is fibrous, covered with small brown scales in the lower part. The ring is the main identifying feature: white, membranous, well-developed, located in the upper third of the stem. There is no volva.

Flesh white, springy in young mushrooms, becoming cottony and moist with age. Does NOT change color when cut. The texture is slightly cartilaginous in the stem, more tender in the cap.

Flesh thin, white, noticeably fibrous in the stem. It doesn't change color when cut — it stays consistently white or cream. In the cap the flesh is softer and juicy; in the stem it is toughish and often hollow in old specimens.

The raw flesh tastes astringent and bitterish — which is exactly why honey fungus must be boiled before eating. After cooking the bitterness disappears and the flesh takes on a pleasant mushroomy flavor.

Smell faint, mushroomy, without distinctive notes. Taste mild, bland and neutral. Some specimens have a barely noticeable sweetish note.

Fresh honey fungus smells pleasant, light, typically mushroomy — with barely noticeable notes of damp wood and moss. It has none of the sharp sourish or chemical tinges found in false honey fungi — an important safety difference.

The aroma doesn't change when cut. Dried, the mushroom keeps a light mushroomy smell, but because of its high moisture content and thin cap, honey fungus is rarely dried — it is more often pickled or salted.