Veiled oyster or Branching oyster

Cap up to 20 cm across, attached by its side to the substrate, fan-shaped, convex in young ones, then flattening out. The color is pale cream to beige, sometimes with a yellowish tint. The surface of a young mushroom is velvety, with fine grayish-brown scales; with age it becomes smooth, and in old ones it may crack. Remnants of the veil sometimes remain on the edges.

Cap up to 15 cm across, funnel-shaped with a deeply sunken center — the hallmark of the species (hence the name “cornucopiae” — “horn of plenty”). Whitish when young, turning creamy brown or ocher with age. Surface smooth, slightly sticky in wet weather. The margins are often wavy, sometimes raggedly torn.

The gills run far down the stem and sometimes join one another with wavy cross-connections in the lower part. White in color, yellowish in mature ones. The spore print is white; spores are elongated, 9–15 × 3–5 µm.

The gills run far down the stem and form a distinctive network (“anastomoses”) on the lower part of the stem — the gills interweave like a cobweb. White, cream with age. Spore print white or pale lilac.

The stem is short and lateral, from practically absent to 10 cm tall. Whitish or pale brownish in color. A distinctive feature is a membranous or flaky ring in the upper part (veil remnants); in mature ones it often falls off, leaving a band.

A stem is always present (unlike the oyster mushroom, where it often almost merges with the cap), 3–12 cm tall, 1–2 cm thick. Sometimes branched, central or slightly off-center. White, cream in mature ones. Tough and fibrous in old ones.

The flesh is white, springy and fibrous in young mushrooms, tough and leathery with age. It does NOT change color when cut. It sometimes contains extra thick-walled hyphae that add to its toughness.

The flesh is white, springy in young ones, getting tougher with age, especially in the stem. It does NOT change color when cut. The texture is like the oyster mushroom’s, but a little denser and springier.

The smell is pleasant, slightly fruity or sourish; in young ones it recalls a wildflower. The taste is mild and delicate.

The smell is distinctive — a blend of anise and flour notes over a faint mushroomy base. Stronger in young specimens. The taste is mild, with a hint of hazelnut.