What do honey mushrooms look like and how can you tell them apart from false ones (+26 photos)?

Most homemakers and mushroom pickers claim that honey mushrooms are delicious. They can be fried and pickled, but also boiled, salted, and added to various dishes. Their ease of harvesting is a major plus.

So, mushrooms grow in clusters and are always noticeable, so you can collect a full basket in one go. However, experts warn that there are honey mushroom look-alikes—conditionally edible and even poisonous mushrooms that can cause severe poisoning. Therefore, it's crucial to know how to distinguish wild honey mushrooms from their phony varieties.

Characteristic features of the species

The mushroom's fruiting body, as seen in the photo, is medium-sized. The stem is thin and flexible, growing to 10-15 cm in height. The stem's color varies from beige with a yellow tint to dark brown, depending on the mushroom's maturity. Some fruits have a small skirt located on the top of the stem.

The cap is small, perfectly round, and has an inward-curving margin. The cap's shape varies with age. Young mushrooms can be distinguished by their rounded caps with a few scales. Mature mushrooms have a smooth, scale-free cap, shaped like an umbrella. The color varies by species and can be beige, with a slight yellow or red tint.

Honey mushrooms are considered the most common mushroom species in central Russia, favoring birch, oak, and coniferous trees. This species includes over 30 different varieties, differing not only in appearance and taste but also in edibility. Thus, there are not only edible but also inedible honey mushrooms. Experts have identified over 200 tree species where these mushrooms grow. They are popularly known as "hard-working mushrooms" because they often grow on dead trees, stumps, roots, or trunks.

Honey fungi are considered forest cleaners because they break down dead trees. They can convert biological matter into micronutrients, which positively impacts soil composition and fertility. Since ancient times, honey fungi have been considered medicinal mushrooms, often used as compresses for cuts, wounds, and burns.

Mushrooms grow in large clusters in one spot for no more than 12-15 years, so you can not only fill a basket but also collect over 2 kg in one go. Experienced mushroom pickers say that young mushrooms with unopened caps are cut with the stems attached, while mature mushrooms are harvested without the stems, as they are of no value and lack flavor.

Many experts also recommend carefully cutting off young parts with the stem, not at the root, so as not to damage the mycelium, which can bear fruit for another 10-12 years.

Popular types of edible honey mushrooms

To avoid being poisoned by honey mushrooms, you need to know the distinctive features of edible varieties, as well as be able to distinguish them from each other.

In addition, there are a number of general signs by which you can check the edibility of a mushroom:

1. Edible mushrooms cannot have a very bright color that immediately catches the eye. This is usually the first and main sign of false and inedible species.

   

2. All edible varieties have a small frill located at the top of the stem. This characteristic is characteristic of honey mushrooms of any age and resembles a ring-shaped thickening on the stem. This feature is considered crucial when assigning honey mushrooms to a food group.
3. It's also important to examine the inside of the cap. The gills of edible species have a pleasant beige color. Brighter gills can indicate toxicity. If you look at young mushrooms, you'll notice scales on the cap's surface, which is completely uncommon for inedible species. However, the scales disappear in mature mushrooms, which is why mushroom pickers recommend only picking young mushrooms.

   

There are several varieties of edible honey mushrooms:

1. The summer variety is considered one of the most common. It can most often be found on stumps or trunks of deciduous trees. The fruits are small, with a stem growing 5-7 cm in height. The top of the stem is smooth to the touch, with dark scales underneath. Only young fruits have a petiole.

   

   

   Initially, the cap is round and convex, but with age, a small pit develops in the center. On the underside of the cap, a system of gills is located. The flesh is light-colored and has a pleasant, characteristic mushroom aroma. This summer variety bears fruit from mid-spring to November.

2. Autumn varieties get their name from the fact that their peak yield occurs in late summer and early fall. Compared to summer varieties, autumn varieties have a taller stem, about 10-12 cm tall. The stem is thin at the top, yellow with a slight brown tint, and becomes slightly wider at the bottom, taking on a brownish tint. Autumn varieties have a yellowish tint to their skirt.

   

3. Winter varieties grow from mid-autumn to early spring and prefer deciduous trees. They have a short stem, 3-6 cm tall. The cap is light brown with a slight red tint. This variety is the only one that lacks a petiole.

   

   

Conditionally edible

Conditionally edible species include poppy and pine honey fungi, the main difference of which is the unpleasant aroma and raw taste of ripe fruits.

The honey fungus, also known as the poppy mushroom, has a round, regular cap, reaching 5-7 cm in diameter. With age, it becomes more convex and spreading. When growing in a humid environment, the cap can become light brown. In dry areas, it turns light yellow. The center is more vibrantly colored than the periphery. The flesh is light-colored and has a characteristic damp smell. The stem is long, about 10 cm, and its shape can vary.

The lower part is orange, and the upper part is yellow. The gills are light yellow, blending smoothly into the upper part of the stem. With age, the gills darken, resembling poppy seeds, hence the mushroom's name. This variety peaks in productivity in late summer and early fall, and it can most often be found growing on stumps and rotten pine trunks.

Despite its name, the pine honey fungus prefers to grow on deciduous trees. The cap is initially rounded, but gradually becomes flat and spreading. The surface is velvety to the touch.

The predominant color is bright orange or yellow-red. The stem is cylindrical, yellow with a red tint, about 5 cm tall, and widened at the base. The flesh is yellowish and has a characteristic tart aroma. The lamellar portion is yellow and spiky to the touch.

False and poisonous honey mushrooms

There are only two types of poisonous honey mushrooms: brick-red and sulfur-yellow. There are several rules that can help you identify the inedible varieties.

Thus, on false varieties, the cap surface initially lacks scales, and it feels smooth and slightly sticky. The cap itself is always brightly colored and eye-catching. The gills are also brightly colored. A distinctive odor, often reminiscent of putrefaction, is also considered distinctive. The coiffure is absent from the very beginning.

Sulfur-yellow varieties prefer to grow on stumps or the trunks of decayed trees. They can be found from late spring to October. The fruit is small. The cap is about 5-6 cm in diameter, convex, and with age, a small tubercle develops in the center. The flesh has a grayish tint and an unpleasant odor, as well as a soft texture. The stem is low.

Brick-red varieties have the same distribution. They are most often found in both coniferous and mixed forests from early spring to late autumn. Young fruits have a round cap, which later becomes semicircular.

The underside of the cap is covered in a web, and the gills are a distinctive yellow color. The stem is hollow, and the flesh is completely odorless. Initially, the cap is yellow, but over time it becomes chocolate-colored.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Honey mushrooms are one of the most common mushrooms found in Russian forests. They are popular for their flavor and ease of harvesting.