Sheathed woodtuft or Bulbous honey fungus

The cap is 3-7 cm across, hemispherical with an inrolled edge in young mushrooms, later becoming convex to flat with a noticeable low bump. The color is two-toned: in wet weather the center is dark chestnut-brown and the edge pale ocher; in dry weather it's the other way around. The surface is smooth, slimy in wet weather. The cap skin peels off easily.

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.

Gilled hymenophore: the gills are attached to the stem, moderately crowded. In young mushrooms they are pale beige, cream, darkening with age to brown, chocolate-brown as the spores ripen. The spore print is brown to rusty brown. In young mushrooms the gills are covered by a whitish partial veil.

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 stem is 4-8 cm tall and 0.5-1 cm thick, cylindrical, often curved. Two-toned: in the upper part (above the ring) it is smooth, pale ocher-cream. In the lower part (below the ring) it is brownish-black, with distinct brown toothlike scales that stick outward. The ring is narrow, membranous, brownish; noticeable in young mushrooms, it may disappear in older ones.

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.

The flesh is meaty in the cap, thin in the stem, creamy white to brownish cream. When cut it does not change color. The smell and taste are pleasantly mushroomy, with a nutty note.

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.

Pleasantly mushroomy with a nutty note. No chemical or mealy undertones, an extra diagnostic feature against Galerina, which has a faint mealy smell.

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.