Honey fungus or Ringless 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 ringless honey fungus is 3 to 8 centimeters across. When young it is convex-bell-shaped; with age it opens up to flat, sometimes with a small bump. The surface is covered with small, flattened scales, especially in the center. The color is honey yellow, ocher-reddish or yellowish brown, darker in the center. The honey color and scaliness make it resemble honey fungus, but the margin is often paler.

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 pinkish-brown spots with age; they are attached to the stem or run slightly down it. The spore print is white. Pale gills that turn brown with age, together with the absence of a ring on the stem, 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 cylindrical, tapering toward the base, 5 to 12 centimeters tall, fibrous and tough. Its defining feature is the complete absence of the ring that honey fungus has; the stem is smooth along its entire length. It is yellowish at the top and reddish brown lower down, and several stems often grow fused together in a cluster at the base. 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 white or cream, fairly thin in the cap and fibrous and tough in the stem. It barely changes color when cut. The taste is mild and pleasant, with no bitterness, but because the raw mushroom tends to cause digestive upset, it must always be boiled thoroughly before eating. 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 and mushroomy, with no sharp notes. Aroma is not a defining feature, so for identification rely on the honey-colored scaly cap, the absence of a ring on the stem, growth in dense clusters on the roots of broadleaf trees and the late-summer-to-autumn season.