Laura Smith
Honey mushrooms are a popular edible mushroom species, but it is important to be able to identify them correctly as some poisonous mushrooms bear a resemblance. Honey mushrooms are a generic term for mushrooms in the Armillaria family, usually A. mellea, and they are typically found in temperate places. They are characterised by their honey-yellow caps, which can also be reddish-brown, and are covered in hair-like projections. They are parasitic and grow in clusters, often on dead or dying trees, and have a distinctive white spore print and a ring near the top of the stem.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Armillaria mellea |
| Common names | Honey mushroom, honey fungus |
| Edibility | Edible |
| Cap | Small round buttons, growing to 5-15 cm in diameter; typically honey-yellow, but can be reddish-brown or yellow; older specimens may have a darker centre and lighter edges |
| Cap flesh | White and firm |
| Stipe | Pale, maturing to brown or black; 5-15 mm in diameter and 6-15 cm tall; often has scales and a wooly or felty texture |
| Stipe ring | Most species have a distinctive ring near the top of the stipe |
| Flesh | Firm and pale; tastes acidic raw |
| Spore print | White |
| Habitat | Found in clusters on dead or dying trees, especially oaks; also found with conifers |
| Lookalikes | Sulfur tuft, various pholiota species, funeral bell, sheathed woodtuft, shaggy scalycap |
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What You'll Learn
- Honey mushrooms are typically found in clusters on dead or dying trees
- They have round caps, with a darker centre and lighter edges
- The caps are honey-yellow, but can also be reddish-brown
- The stipe is pale, maturing to brown and then black
- The mushroom is parasitic, infecting trees and whole swaths of woods
Honey mushrooms are typically found in clusters on dead or dying trees
Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.) are typically found in clusters on dead or dying trees. They are parasitic mushrooms that infect and break down the cellulose in trees, and they can kill living trees. They are often found with conifers, although they are uncommon in the UK. They can also be found in hardwood, mixedwood, and conifer forests. They are a circumboreal species, usually found in temperate places, meaning not the tropics. They are typically found in clusters on dead or dying trees, with round caps and are covered in little hair-like projections. As the mushroom grows, the hair-like projections remain visible in the centre of the cap, giving the cap a darker-looking centre that transitions to lighter edges. The caps are typically honey-yellow but can also be reddish-brown and various shades in between. The mushroom has a white spore print, and the gills under the cap are light, while the stem is tough and dark. Most species have a distinctive ring near the top of the stem.
It is important to be able to distinguish honey mushrooms from other similar-looking mushrooms, some of which are poisonous. The deadly galerina (Galerina marginata) is one such example, as is the funeral bell (Galerina marinata). The sheathed woodtuft (Kuehneromyces mutabilis) is another mushroom that grows in clusters on trees, but it is edible and can be distinguished by sensible close observation. The shaggy scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa) has similar proportions, colours, and growth habits, but it can cause an upset stomach and is distinguished by its very scaly appearance and darker gills.
When foraging for honey mushrooms, it is recommended to pick them when they are young, as this is when they have a superior texture. They can be dehydrated at a low temperature until they are brittle and papery, and then used in winter stews. They can also be cooked and then frozen.
To accurately identify honey mushrooms, it is recommended to use a key with "if-then" statements. Guidebooks with pictures can also be helpful in the identification process.
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They have round caps, with a darker centre and lighter edges
Honey mushrooms are characterised by their round caps, which typically range from 2 to 10 cm in diameter. The caps exhibit a distinctive colour gradient, with a darker centre that gradually lightens towards the edges. This unique feature is a key identifying trait of honey mushrooms.
The centre of the cap can vary in colour from a light brown to a darker tan or even a reddish-brown hue, creating a beautiful, warm tone. This darker centre is often referred to as the "honey-coloured" portion of the
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The caps are honey-yellow, but can also be reddish-brown
Honey mushrooms are a generic term for a wide complex of wild mushrooms in the Armillaria family, usually Armillaria mellea. They are edible and can be identified by their caps, which are typically honey-yellow but can also be reddish-brown. The caps are small round buttons that grow quickly to 5 to 15 cm in diameter when fully opened. They have a darker area near the centre, made up of densely packed scales that are darker than the rest of the cap. The cap flesh is white and firm, and the caps rapidly flatten and may even become concave as they grow, developing wavy, striate margins.
Honey mushrooms are often found in clusters on dead or dying trees, with round caps covered in little hair-like projections. As the fungus grows, these projections remain visible in the centre of the cap, giving the cap a darker-looking centre that transitions to lighter edges. The gills under the cap are light, and the stem is tough and dark, with most species having a distinctive ring near the top. The mushroom has a white spore print, and if you have mature specimens in clusters, you may see white spores from the upper mushrooms dusting the caps of the lower ones.
It is important to be careful when harvesting honey mushrooms, as there are some poisonous mushrooms that resemble them, such as the sulfur tuft and various pholiota species, including the shaggy scalycap. Another similar mushroom is the deadly galerina (Galerina marginata), which is toxic and resembles the honey mushroom in appearance. Therefore, it is recommended to use a guide or book with detailed "keys" to help identify mushrooms before consuming them.
Honey mushrooms can be cooked in various ways, such as pan-frying, pickling, dehydrating, or cooking and then freezing. They are described as flavourful and rich with a nice meaty texture, and they are commonly found in hardwood, mixed wood, and conifer forests.
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The stipe is pale, maturing to brown and then black
When identifying honey mushrooms, it is important to note the appearance of the stipe, which is the stem of the mushroom. The stipe of honey mushrooms is initially pale, maturing to brown and then almost black. This colour change is accompanied by a change in texture, from smooth to somewhat wooly or felty. The stipe can also have scales and is typically 5 to 15mm in diameter and 6 to 15cm tall.
The colour change of the stipe is a key characteristic of honey mushrooms and can be useful in distinguishing them from similar-looking mushrooms. For example, the dark honey fungus (Armillaria ostoyae) can be differentiated from Armillaria mellea by the presence of a whitish double ring and dark brown or black scales on the underside of the mushroom. Ringless honey fungus (Armillaria tabescens), as the name suggests, lacks a ring altogether.
It is important to accurately identify honey mushrooms before consuming them, as there are some poisonous mushrooms that bear a resemblance to them, such as the sulfur tuft and various pholiota species, including the shaggy scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa). The funeral bell (Galerina marginata/marinata) is another poisonous mushroom that is similar in appearance to honey mushrooms, especially for novice foragers. Therefore, it is recommended to consult guidebooks and detailed keys to confirm the identification of honey mushrooms before consuming them.
Honey mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) are typically found in clusters on dead or dying trees and have round caps with a darker-looking centre and lighter edges. They are parasitic mushrooms that infect trees and can be found in hardwood, mixedwood, and conifer forests. Honey mushrooms are considered a choice edible fungus and are described as having a flavourful and rich taste with a nice meaty texture. However, it is recommended to harvest and consume them when they are young, as they have a superior texture compared to their mature counterparts.
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The mushroom is parasitic, infecting trees and whole swaths of woods
Honey mushrooms are parasitic fungi that infect trees and whole swaths of woods. They are part of the Armillaria genus, which includes about 10 species, including the well-known A. mellea. Honey mushrooms are characterised by their honey-coloured, dry, scaly caps and their growth in clusters at the bases of trees or stumps, particularly oaks, and over buried wood. They are often found in temperate regions, such as the American South, Europe, Russia, and China.
The parasitic nature of honey mushrooms can have detrimental effects on their hosts. They infect trees and plants by sending out long, black cords called rhizomorphs, which twist and turn like tentacles. These rhizomorphs appear under the bark and around the tree, and the mushrooms grow in clusters from the infected plant in autumn. Honey mushrooms cause white rot root disease, feeding on dead plant material and sometimes killing their hosts by damaging the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. This can result in the death of the host tree, which the mushroom can then continue to digest for years.
The impact of honey mushrooms can be significant, as they can infect and kill not just individual trees but also entire swaths of woods. They are known to be destructive forest pathogens, and their ability to spread through the soil via mycelium makes them difficult to control. The largest known specimen, an A. ostoyae in Oregon, covers more than 3.4 square miles and is estimated to be 2,500 years old.
Proper identification of honey mushrooms is crucial, as they have several poisonous look-alikes, including the sulfur tuft and various pholiota species. The gills of honey mushrooms are attached directly to the stem, and they usually grow in dense clusters, although they occasionally fruit alone. Their caps are typically yellow-brown, sticky to the touch when moist, and their shape can vary from conical to convex to depressed in the centre as they age.
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Frequently asked questions
Honey mushrooms are usually found in clusters on dead or dying trees, have round caps, and are covered in little hair-like projections. They have a white spore print and a distinctive ring near the top of the stem.
Honey mushrooms are typically honey-yellow but can also be reddish-brown or yellow and brown. They have a darker area near the centre of the cap made up of densely packed scales. The stems are tough and dark.
It is important to be very sure about the variety of mushroom before consuming it. Some poisonous mushrooms that resemble honey mushrooms include the sulfur tuft and the various pholiota species. The funeral bell, for instance, is a poisonous mushroom that is brown-capped and ringed.
Honey mushrooms are also known as Armillaria, Armillaria mellea, and honey fungus.
