Spindle toughshank or Bulbous honey fungus

Cap 3-10 cm, hemispherical at first, then convex-spreading; in old specimens with an upturned, wavy edge. Color reddish brown, russet-brown, darker in the center and paler toward the edge. The surface is dry and smooth, slightly shiny in wet weather.

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. Gills fairly distant, attached or slightly decurrent. Pale cream to yellowish, developing rusty spots with age. Spore print white.

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.

Stem 6-15 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick in the middle, characteristically spindle-shaped — swollen in the middle, narrowing downward (to 0.5-1 cm), and at the base it turns into a long pointed "root" that goes deep into the ground to the oak root. Deep lengthwise furrows and red-brown spots are diagnostic features. There is no ring.

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 whitish to yellowish in the cap; in the stem it is dense, woody, with reddish spots. It barely changes color when cut. Tough — especially in the stem. It has a faint bitter aftertaste.

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.

Faint mushroomy or slightly sourish smell. The taste is slightly bitter — it needs boiling.

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.