Honey Fungus

Armillaria

Honey Fungus is a sweet-looking fungus that grows on trees! It can be yellowish and often grows in clusters.

Habitat: On trees

Appearance

The Honey Fungus has yellow-brown to honey-colored caps, often scaly, that grow in dense clusters. It features white gills underneath and a prominent ring around its stem. This fungus is distinctive for its tendency to grow at the base of trees or on stumps.

KingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderAgaricalesFamilyPhysalacriaceaeGenusArmillaria

Honey Fungus

Interesting facts

In some places, it’s cooked and eaten as a delicious wild mushroom!

Its long, black root-like structures are called rhizomorphs – they look like bootlaces!

The largest known living organism by area might be a single honey fungus colony!

This fungus can make infected wood glow in the dark, a phenomenon called 'foxfire'!

Special abilities

Honey Fungus can grow long, black 'shoelaces' underground because of special root-like structures called rhizomorphs that help them spread far.

Some Honey Fungus species can glow in the dark, because of bioluminescence that helps them emit a soft, spooky light.

Honey Fungus can infect and kill living trees because its mycelium invades and rots their wood, weakening them over time.

Measurements & details

Height: 5-15 cm
Edibility: edible
Cap Diameter: 3-15 cm
Growth Substrate: wood
Season: Late summer to fall
Spore Color: White

Ecological connections

parasitizes

Oak

Quercus robur

Causes root rot and decay in oaks.

parasitizes

Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris

Weakens and can kill conifer trees.

parasitizes

European Beech

Fagus sylvatica

Infects the roots and base of beech trees.

eaten by

Humans

Homo sapiens

Collected and consumed as a culinary mushroom.

Traits

Deciduous

Discover the magic of plants that shed all their leaves during a particular season, often putting on a spectacular show of fall colors first. They get ready for a fresh start!

Spore Producing

Discover how some plants and fungi create tiny little "seeds" called spores to help them grow new life! These tiny particles drift in the air, spreading new generations far and wide.