Bulbous honey fungusArmillaria gallica

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.

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 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, 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.

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.