Honey Mushroom (Complex)
Armillaria mellea
Clustered Wood Fungus: High Risk of Deadly Lookalikes
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Key Features
- Densely clustered growth on decaying wood
- Tawny brown to reddish-orange cap color
- Strongly striate (ribbed) cap margin
- Gills crowded
- pale cream to whitish
- Fibrous
- brownish stem
- often darker towards base
Color:
Tawny brown cap, pale cream gills, brownish stem
Smell:
No distinctive smell
Growth Pattern:
Clustered
Environment:
Wood
Habitat & Distribution
Habitat:
Decaying hardwood or conifer logs in forest settings
Distribution:
Widespread across Northern Hemisphere
Seasonality:
Autumn
Economic Value
Market Demand:
Low to Moderate - Locally foraged, complex identification issues limit commercial scale.
Price Range:
N/A
Commercial Use:
None
Similar Species
Deadly Galerina
Galerina marginata
Key Differences:
- Produces rusty brown spore print
- Typically smaller and more fragile structure
- Often possesses a distinct, though sometimes ephemeral, ring
Sulphur Tuft
Hypholoma fasciculare
Key Differences:
- Cap and stem are distinctly sulphur yellow
- Gills are greenish-yellow, turning purple-brown
- Taste is extremely bitter
Recommended Action
Do not consume. Immediate expert identification required due to high risk of confusion with deadly species.