Sheathed woodtuft or Ringless 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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.