Pale oyster or Golden oyster mushroom

The cap of the pale oyster reaches 4 to 8, occasionally up to 15 centimeters across. It is fan-shaped, tongue-shaped or almost semicircular, with a thin, often wavy or slightly split margin. The surface is smooth, dry and matte. The coloring is pale: whitish-gray, cream or pale ocher, often darker where it attaches to the wood; with age and in sunlight the cap turns noticeably yellow. It's this pale, almost white color that sets the species apart from the grayish-brown 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 underside has gills. The gills are white or cream, fairly distant and thick, running noticeably down the stem, and where there is no stem, running all the way down to where the cap attaches. The spore print is white or with a barely noticeable lilac tinge. Decurrent white gills that stay pale for a long time are a characteristic feature of oyster mushrooms.

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 stem is short or almost absent, usually lateral or off-center, up to 4 centimeters long, dirty white, downy-hairy at the base. Several mushrooms often grow together at the stems in a single cluster. The stem flesh is tough, especially in mature specimens, so mostly the caps are eaten. There is no ring and no volva.

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 flesh is white, tender and juicy in young mushrooms, becoming firmer and fibrous with age, especially closer to the stem. It does not change color when cut. The taste is mild and pleasant, with no bitterness. For the table, choose young caps with tender flesh.

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 smell is pleasant and mushroomy, sometimes with a barely perceptible hint of anise or flour. The aroma is fresh and not sharp, so for identification rely first of all on the pale fan-shaped cap, the decurrent white gills and growth in clusters on hardwood.

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.