Golden oyster mushroom or Pink oyster mushroom

The cap of the golden oyster mushroom is small — 2 to 6, occasionally up to 10 centimeters across. When young it is convex with an inrolled margin; with age it becomes funnel-shaped and depressed, with a thin, often wavy edge. The surface is dry, slightly velvety and matte. The color is the species' main glory: pure lemon-yellow or golden in young mushrooms, fading slightly with age to yellowish-cream. The mushrooms grow fused together in dense clusters, like a bouquet.

The cap of the pink oyster mushroom is small — from 2 to 6, rarely up to 10 centimeters across. It is fan-shaped, tongue-shaped or lobed, with a thin, often wavy margin. The surface is smooth or faintly velvety, dry and matte. The color is the species' main glory: bright pink, coral or salmon in young mushrooms, fading with age to pale pink and cream. The mushrooms grow fused in dense, tiered clusters.

The spore-bearing surface is made of gills. The gills are white or cream, fairly crowded, and run noticeably down the stem (decurrent), often all the way to its base. The spore print is pale pink or pinkish-lilac. Decurrent white gills contrasting with the yellow cap are a telltale feature of the species.

The hymenophore is gilled. The gills are pink or pinkish-cream, matching the cap, fairly crowded, running noticeably down the short stem or decurrent to the point of attachment. The spore print is pale pink or lilac. The pink decurrent gills make this species easy to recognize among the oyster mushrooms.

The stem is thin, white or cream, often curved and off-center, 2 to 5 centimeters tall. Several stems usually fuse at a common base into a single cluster, from which the golden caps fan out. The surface is smooth. There is no ring and no volva. The stem flesh is tougher than the cap, so mostly the caps are eaten.

The stem is short or almost absent, usually lateral or off-center, pinkish-white; often several mushrooms are fused at a common base into a single cluster. The surface is smooth. There is no ring and no volva. The stem flesh is tougher than the cap, so mostly the caps are eaten.

The flesh is white, thin and tender, and does not change color when cut. The taste is mild and pleasant, with a nutty hint. Because the flesh is thin and the stem tougher, choose young caps for the table. When cooked, the mushroom loses some of its brightness but keeps its pleasant taste and aroma.

The flesh is thin, tender, pinkish or whitish, and does not change color when cut. The taste is mild and pleasant; when fried it reminds some people of bacon or seafood. Because the flesh is so thin, young caps are chosen for the table. During cooking the bright pink color almost disappears.

The smell is pleasant and mushroomy, somewhat mealy or nutty in fresh mushrooms. Scent isn't a defining feature; the mushroom is recognized above all by the bright lemon-yellow color of its caps, its growth in dense clusters on hardwood and its decurrent white gills.

The smell is pleasant, mushroomy, slightly sweetish in fresh specimens. The aroma is not a defining feature; the mushroom is recognized above all by the bright pink-coral color of its caps, its growth in dense clusters on broadleaf wood and its pink decurrent gills.