Honey Fungus

Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P.Kumm.

Also called: Honey Mushroom

Safety first

Many edible mushrooms have toxic lookalikes, and some of those can be fatal. Have any mushroom identified in person by a local expert before you eat it.

If someone may have eaten a wild mushroom, call US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911 right away. In Canada, call your provincial poison centre or 911.

Edibility

Caution Source: Wikipedia: Armillaria mellea

Classification from Wikipedia: Armillaria mellea. Sources can be wrong or incomplete, and people react differently.

Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app.

Photos

Lookalikes

No lookalikes are recorded for this species yet. That does not mean there are none. Many mushrooms look alike, so never rely on appearance alone.

Season

When this species has been recorded, by month, from open-licensed US and Canada observations. It shows when people report it, not a guarantee it is fruiting.

The highlighted bar is the current month.

View season data as a table
Recorded observations of Honey Fungus by month
MonthRecords
January167
February31
March15
April14
May25
June67
July102
August250
September807
October776
November269
December364

Where it is found

States and provinces with the most records. Check the foraging rules for the place you plan to visit.

Show 43 more
  • Maryland40 records
  • Quebec38 records
  • Idaho38 records
  • Oregon38 records
  • Minnesota34 records
  • West Virginia30 records
  • Connecticut30 records
  • Wisconsin30 records
  • Georgia29 records
  • Colorado26 records
  • Florida25 records
  • Nova Scotia24 records
  • Utah23 records
  • District of Columbia21 records
  • Vermont19 records
  • New Hampshire16 records
  • New Jersey16 records
  • Maine15 records
  • Kentucky14 records
  • South Carolina13 records
  • Alabama11 records
  • Texas10 records
  • Rhode Island9 records
  • Wyoming9 records
  • Arizona7 records
  • Montana7 records
  • Kansas6 records
  • New Mexico6 records
  • Iowa5 records
  • Alaska5 records
  • Louisiana5 records
  • Arkansas5 records
  • Mississippi4 records
  • Manitoba4 records
  • Oklahoma4 records
  • New Brunswick3 records
  • Newfoundland and Labrador3 records
  • South Dakota2 records
  • Prince Edward Island2 records
  • Delaware2 records
  • Yukon1 records
  • North Dakota1 records
  • Alberta1 records

All state and province foraging laws

Identification traits

Cap shapeconvex
Underside (gills, pores or teeth)gills
Ecologyparasitic
Stem featuresring
Spore print colorwhite

Traits vary. Use them to ask better questions of an expert, not to make a final call.

About

Armillaria mellea is an edible basidiomycete fungus in the honey fungus genus Armillaria. It is a plant pathogen and part of a cryptic species complex of closely related and morphologically similar species. It causes Armillaria root rot in many plant species and produces mushrooms around the base of trees it has infected. The symptoms of infection appear in the crowns of infected trees as discoloured foliage, reduced growth, dieback of the branches and death. The mycelium is capable of producing light via bioluminescence. The mushroom is widely distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, usually in heavy soils with temperatures under 79 °F (26 °C). It typically grows on hardwoods but may be found around and on living and dead wood or in open areas.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the original article.

Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app. See safety basics and the disclaimer.