Honey fungus or Brick tuft

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.

Cap 4-10 cm across, hemispherical with an inrolled margin when young, becoming convex with a low umbo over time. Color bright brick-orange, brick-red, darker toward the center to brownish orange, with a yellowish margin. Surface smooth, slightly slimy in wet weather. Often with whitish veil remnants along the cap margin.

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.

Gilled hymenophore — the gills are attached to the stem, moderately crowded. When young they are yellowish white, darkening with age to olive gray, then dark purplish gray as the spores ripen. Spore print dark purple-brown to blackish brown. They never turn bright sulfur yellow.

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.

Stem 5-10 cm tall, 0.8-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, often tapering toward the base. Color yellowish cream at the top, darkening with age to reddish brown toward the base. Surface with fine lengthwise fibers. The ring is faint — young specimens may have a thin fibrous ring zone, which disappears in older ones.

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.

Flesh firm and meaty in the cap, yellowish to pale cream. When cut it does not change color. Smell faintly mushroomy. Taste bitterish, especially in the stem and in older specimens — a diagnostic feature.

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.

Faintly mushroomy, neutral, with no distinctive notes. Older specimens have a slightly rancid note.