Honey fungus or Bulbous honey fungus

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.

The cap of the bulbous honey fungus reaches 3 to 10 centimeters in diameter. When young it is convex-bell-shaped; with age it opens out to flat. The surface is covered with small, thin fibrous scales, especially in the center, and becomes smoother in wet weather. The color is yellowish brown, honey brown or ocher, darker in the center; the margin is paler, often with a reddish tinge. In dry weather the color fades noticeably.

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.

The hymenophore is gilled. The gills are whitish or cream, developing yellowish-reddish spots with age, attached to the stem or running slightly down it. The spore print is white. Pale gills that turn brownish with age, together with the weak cobwebby ring, help you recognize this species.

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.

The stem is the most distinctive feature of the species: cylindrical, with a noticeably thickened, bulbous base, 5 to 12 centimeters tall. It is yellowish brown at the top and paler toward the bottom. The ring is weak, cobwebby-membranous, yellowish, and often disappears quickly, leaving only a fibrous band. It is precisely the swollen stem base that gave the mushroom its folk name, «thick-legged». There is no volva.

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.

The flesh is whitish, rather thin in the cap and fibrous in the stem. It barely changes color when cut. Raw flesh tastes acrid, so the mushroom must always be thoroughly boiled before eating, after which the taste becomes mild. The quality of the flesh is somewhat lower than in honey fungus, so young caps are chosen for the table.

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.

The smell is faint, pleasant, somewhat sweetish, sometimes with a cheesy hint. The scent is not a defining feature, so for identification rely on the bulbous, swollen stem base, the weak cobwebby ring, the honey-colored scaly cap and its growth on the wood of broadleaf trees.