Community find

Honey Fungus

Armillaria mellea

Group

gilled mushroom

Season

Late summer to late autumn, often after periods of rain.

Habitat

Typically found growing in dense clusters around the base of trees (both living and dead), stumps, or buried wood. It can grow on a wide variety of deciduous and coniferous trees.

Key characteristics

Caps typically 3-15 cm in diameter, convex to flat with age, often yellowish-brown to honey-colored, covered with small, dark, raised scales, especially towards the center. Gills are adnate to decurrent, white to creamy, darkening with age. Stems are central, 5-20 cm long and 1-3 cm thick, whitish to brownish, usually tapering towards the base. Often has a prominent, persistent ring (annulus) on the upper part of the stem, which can be yellowish with a darker, cottony underside. Spore print is white.

Look-alikes

Several species of Armillaria look similar, and distinguishing between them often requires microscopic examination or genetic analysis. Galerina marginata (Deadly Galerina) is a deadly poisonous mushroom that can sometimes grow on wood and resemble young honey fungi, but it has a brown spore print and lacks the prominent ring and scaly cap of Armillaria mellea. Pholiota species also have scales on the cap but typically have brownish spore prints.

Ecological role

Primarily a parasitic fungus, causing white rot in trees, leading to their decay and eventual death. It can also be saprophytic, consuming dead wood. It forms rhizomorphs (black, root-like structures) that can spread through soil and under bark, allowing it to colonize new hosts.