Herald of winter or Slippery jack

Cap 3-7 cm, at first hemispherical with an inrolled margin, then convex-flattened with a broad umbo. Color olive-brown or yellowish-olive in the center, paler and yellowish toward the margin. Surface very slimy, especially in wet weather, glossy.

Cap 4–12 cm across, convex in young mushrooms, later flattened-convex. The surface is covered with a thick layer of slime — especially in wet weather. Color chocolate-brown or chestnut, yellowish brown when dry. The margin often bears remnants of the partial veil.

Gills. The gills are widely spaced, thick, waxy, decurrent on the stem. Color yellow or yellowish-golden — this is the key feature. Spore print white.

The hymenophore has tubes. Pores yellow, small, regular, turning yellow-green with age. The tubes are attached to the stem or run slightly down it. When pressed, the pores turn slightly brownish.

Stem 4-9 cm tall, 0.5-1 cm thick, cylindrical, often curved. Yellowish to yellow-orange, paler in the upper part. Surface slimy, especially in young mushrooms. No ring.

Stem 5–10 cm tall, 1–2 cm thick, solid, cylindrical. Yellow and granular in the upper part, brown or violet-brownish below the ring. A characteristic purple-brown membranous ring — a remnant of the partial veil and one of the key diagnostic features of the species.

Flesh pale yellow, firm in young mushrooms, softer with age. Doesn't change color when cut. Handles frying and stewing well.

Flesh yellowish or pale cream, firm in young mushrooms, softer in mature ones. Turns slightly pink when cut or stays unchanged. The taste is mild, pleasant, slightly sourish. The cap skin peels off easily together with the slime.

Faint pleasant mushroomy smell, without sharp notes. Mild, pleasant taste.

Smell pleasant, unobtrusively mushroomy, slightly resinous — reflecting its symbiosis with pine. With cooking the aroma intensifies and becomes more pronounced. No foreign unpleasant notes.