Honey fungus (Honey mushroom). Description, distribution and types of honey mushrooms

These mushrooms are quite easy to recognize; they have a long (sometimes more than 15 cm) stalk of light or dark colors. It depends on the place where honey mushrooms grow. Some mushrooms have a stem dressed in a “skirt”.

The cap of the mushroom is rounded towards the bottom and has a lamellar shape. It can have different shades - from light to brown.

Where do honey mushrooms grow?

Forest mushrooms can grow in a wide variety of climates. They are able to cover fairly large areas and grow in large areas. Most often they can be found near stumps and small bushes.

As a rule, they can be hidden under leaves or in the grass, although sometimes you can find a mushroom standing alone in the middle of the path.

Types of mushrooms

Summer honey fungus

Such mushrooms grow in large groups, mainly near deciduous trees; they especially love old, weak stumps and damaged trees. In the mountains they find places on spruce or pine trees. They are small in size. The length is no more than 7 cm, and the diameter of the cap is no more than 5-6 cm.

Young mushrooms have a convex cap, but with age it flattens, leaving only a small light tubercle. In the temperate zone, summer honey mushrooms are found in areas of deciduous trees.

Under favorable conditions they can bear fruit all year round.

Autumn honey fungus

In the photo, these honey mushrooms are similar to the previous species. However, they are distinguished by slightly larger legs (up to 10 cm) and a larger diameter of the caps (up to 15 cm). Like summer mushrooms, the cap is convex at first, but flattens with age.

The autumn species appears at the end of August and bears fruit for about 3 weeks. They can grow singly or in large groups on more than 200 species of trees or shrubs. These can be stumps, fallen trunks, branches and even cuttings of fallen leaves.

Sometimes the fungus can grow on some plants, for example, potatoes.

Winter honey fungus

Like other species, it likes to settle on weak or dead trees. These are mainly poplars and maples. In this case, the wood gradually deteriorates. It is approximately the same size as the summer one, only with a slightly larger cap.

It grows in large groups, which are often fused. Very often they gather during a thaw - they appear in thawed patches.

It is believed that winter honey mushrooms contain a small proportion of toxins. For this reason, they need to be subjected to greater heat treatment before consumption.

Meadow honey fungus

These mushrooms grow in open areas. They can often be found in ditches, ravines, clearings and forest edges. Often found on summer cottages. They are small in size - a thin stem and a small light-colored cap.

It can be found from late spring to mid-autumn. It tolerates arid climates well and begins to bear fruit immediately after rains.

Honey fungus thick-legged

Judging by the photo, honey mushrooms of this species are very different from their relatives. In fact, the difference lies only in the size of the leg, or rather in its thickness. Most often it grows on damaged, weak trees, stumps of spruce, beech, ash, etc.

The height of the stem is approximately the same as that of summer mushrooms; the cap has a large diameter of up to 10 cm. The young mushroom has a cone-shaped cap. With age, it flattens and tucks towards the edges.

Properties of mushrooms

This type of mushroom is very popular among us. It got its name due to its place of growth. As a rule, it can be found in large quantities near the stumps of various trees.

Based natural conditions Production for the cultivation of honey mushrooms is being organized.

In addition to excellent taste, mushrooms have low calorie content and such a rich composition as:

• Vitamin groups B, C and E;
• Microelements - phosphorus, zinc, iron;
• Amino acids;
• Cellulose;
• Squirrels.

In terms of their composition, mushrooms can easily compete with different varieties fish. This means that vegetarians can get the necessary microelements from honey mushrooms. Mushrooms have a positive effect on hematopoietic function. The daily dose of iron can be easily obtained from just 100 g of honey mushrooms.

Some types of these mushrooms can help strengthen hair, skin and eyes, while others can affect the body's immune and hormonal systems.

It is noteworthy that honey mushrooms are often used in folk medicine for treatment thyroid gland, liver and cardiovascular system.

Photo again

Honey fungus(plural number – honey mushrooms, honey mushrooms) is the popular name for a group of mushrooms belonging to different kinds and families.

The mushrooms “Holy mushrooms” received their name because of their peculiarity of growth - stumps (stumps), both living and dead. But there are also several types of honey mushrooms that grow in meadows.

Description of the honey agaric

Honey mushrooms have a cap, which in youth is hemispherical in shape, which later becomes umbrella-shaped - a tubercle on top, then flat, often rounded on the sides, with a diameter of 2-10 cm. edible honey mushrooms the cap is covered with small scales, which practically disappear as the mushroom ages. Sometimes the cap is covered with a layer of mucus. The color of the cap ranges from cream and light yellow to reddish shades, with a darker center. The leg of honey mushrooms grows from 2 to 18 cm in length and up to 2.5 cm in width. Read other features of honey mushrooms below in the descriptions for each species.

Where to collect honey mushrooms? The habitat of most honey mushrooms is weakened or damaged trees, as well as rotten or dead wood, mainly deciduous trees (beech, oak, birch, alder, aspen, elm, willow, acacia, poplar, ash, mulberry, etc.), less often coniferous (spruce, pine, fir).

Some species, for example, meadow honey fungus, grow on the soil, occurring mainly in open grassy spaces - fields, gardens, roadsides, forest clearings, etc.

Honey mushrooms are widespread in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere (from the subtropics to the North) and are absent only in areas permafrost. Of course, the number of mushrooms also has a beneficial effect high humidity in forests, although they can be found in damp ravines.

Honey mushrooms grow in large families (tubers), although solitary honey mushrooms are occasionally found. The foci of growth themselves can be connected by long (up to several meters) string-like mycelia, which can be seen under the bark of the affected plant.

When do honey mushrooms grow?

The time for collecting honey mushrooms depends on the type of honey mushroom and climatic conditions. So, for example, autumn honey fungus grows from August to winter, summer honey mushroom grows from April to November, but if we generalize, the most productive time for collecting honey mushrooms is autumn, especially September and October.

What to do with honey mushrooms?

Honey mushrooms can be prepared in the following ways:

- simmer;
- cook;
- fry;
- marinate;
- salt;
- make caviar;
- dry.

Fried and pickled honey mushrooms are considered the most delicious.

Types of mushrooms

Real mushrooms. Edible honey mushrooms

Autumn honey fungus (Armillaria mellea). Synonyms: Real honey fungus.

Collection season: end of August – beginning of winter. Peak – September, with an average daily temperature of +10°C.

Description: The cap is 3-17 cm in diameter, convex at first, then opens to flat, often with wavy edges. The skin, depending on the growing conditions, is colored in various shades - from honey-brown to greenish-olive, darker in the center. The surface is covered with sparse light scales, which may disappear with age. The flesh of young caps is dense, whitish, and becomes thin with age. The flesh of the legs is fibrous, and mature mushrooms have a rough consistency. The smell and taste are pleasant. The plates are relatively sparse, adherent to the stem or slightly descending. Young ones are whitish or flesh-colored, when ripe they darken slightly to pink-brown, and may become covered with brown spots. The legs are 8-10 cm long, 1-2 cm in diameter, solid, with a light yellow-brown surface, darker in the lower part, to brownish-brown. The base may be slightly expanded, but not swollen. The surface of the stem, like the cap, is covered with flake-like scales. The fruiting bodies are often fused at the base of the stalks. Remains of the spathe: a ring in the upper part of the stem, usually right under the cap, clearly visible, filmy, narrow, whitish with a yellow edge. Volva is missing. Spore powder is white.

Honey fungus (Armillaria lutea) . Synonyms: Armillaria bulbosa, Armillaria gallica, Armillaria inflata, Armillaria mellea, Armillariella bulbosa.

Collection season: August – November.

Description: The cap is 2.5-10 cm in diameter, at the beginning wide-conical, with a rolled-up edge, then becomes flattened with a lowered edge. IN at a young age the cap is colored in dark brown, pale brown or pinkish shades, whitish along the edge, then yellowish-brown or brown. The scales in the center of the cap are numerous, almost conical, fibrous, grayish-brown, closer to the edge - solitary, raised or recumbent, whitish or the same color as the cap. The scales in the center are usually retained in adult mushrooms. The plates are quite frequent, descending onto the stem; in young mushrooms they are whitish, then acquiring a brownish tint. The leg is usually cylindrical, with a club-shaped or bulbous thickening at the base, whitish above the ring, brownish or brown below, often grayish at the base, below the ring with scattered yellowish remains of the spathe. The ring is fibrous or filmy, white, often with brownish scales along the edge, bursting in a star-shaped manner. The pulp is whitish, with a weak or unpleasant cheesy odor and astringent taste. White spore powder.

Summer honey fungus (Kuehneromyces mutabilis) . Synonyms: Govorushka, Cuneromyces variable, Linden honey fungus, Agaricus mutabilis, Pholiota mutabilis, Dryophila mutabilis, Galerina mutabilis.

Spreading: Summer honey fungus grows in dense colonies on rotten wood or on damaged living trees, preferably deciduous trees, occasionally pine, deciduous and mixed forests northern temperate climate.

Collection season: April-November, and in mild climates - almost all year round.

Description: The cap is 3-6 cm in diameter, convex at first, and as the mushroom ages it becomes flat, with a well-defined wide tubercle. In rainy weather, translucent, brownish, in dry weather - matte, honey-yellow; often lighter in the middle and darker at the edges. The edges of the cap have noticeable grooves; in wet weather there are concentric zones and darker fields around the tubercle. The skin is smooth, mucous. The pulp is thin, watery, pale yellow-brown in color, darker in the stem, with a mild taste and a pleasant smell of fresh wood. The plates are 0.4-0.6 cm wide, adherent or slightly descending, relatively frequent, first light brown, then brownish-brown. The stem is up to 7 cm high, 0.4-1 cm in diameter, dense, lighter in the upper part than the cap, smooth, small dark scales appear below the ring. Remains of the spathes: the ring is filmy, narrow, clearly visible at the beginning, may disappear with age, and is often colored ocher-brown by fallen spores; the volva and the remains of the coverlet on the cap are missing. Spore powder is ocher-brown.

Winter honey fungus (Flammulina velutipes) . Synonyms: Flammulina velvetypod, Collibia velvetypod, Winter mushroom, Agaricus velutipes, Gymnopus velutipes, Collybia velutipes, Pleurotus velutipes, Collybidium velutipes, Myxocollybia velutipes.

Collection season: autumn - spring. It bears fruit best during winter thaws, but can often be found under the snow. Winter honey fungus is popular as a cultivation object. In stores it can be found under the names: “Enokitake”, “Inoki”.

Description: The fruit body is capped, central or slightly eccentric. The cap is flat (convex in young mushrooms), 2-10 cm in diameter, colored yellow, honey-brown or orange-brown. The edges of the cap are usually lighter than the middle. The pulp is thin, from white to light yellow in color, with a pleasant taste. The leg is 2-7 cm long, 0.3-1 cm wide, tubular, dense, characteristic velvety brown in color, yellowish-brown at the top. The plates are adherent, sparse, there are shortened plates. The color of the plates ranges from white to ocher. There are no remains of the bedspread. Spore powder is white.

Spring honey fungus (Collybia dryophila) . Synonyms: Agaricus dryophilus, Collybia aquosa var. dryophila, Collybia dryophila, Marasmius dryophilus, Omphalia dryophila.

Spreading: Spring honey fungus grows mainly as tubers.
Found in groups, from June to November, in small groups, on rotting wood or deciduous litter in mixed forests with oak and pine.

Collection season: May – October. Peak – June, July.

Description: The cap is 1-7 cm in diameter, hygrophanic, convex when young, then broadly convex and flat, colored red-brown, then fades to orange-brown or yellow-brown. Old mushrooms have a rolled edge. The pulp is white or yellowish, without any special taste or smell. The hymenophore is lamellar, the plates are adherent to the stalk or almost free, often located, white, sometimes with a pinkish or yellowish tint. Sometimes the ‘luteifolius’ form with yellow plates stands out. The stalk is flexible, 3-9 cm long, 0.2-0.8 cm thick, relatively smooth, sometimes widening towards the bulbous-thickened base. Spore powder is cream or white in color.

Yellow-red honey fungus, or yellow-red honey fungus (Tricholomopsis rutilans) . Synonyms: Reddened row, Yellow-red false row, Yellow-red honey fungus, red honey fungus, Pine honey fungus, Agaricus rutilans, Gymnopus rutilans, Tricholoma rutilans, Cortinellus rutilans.

Family: Ordinary or tricholomaceae (Tricholomataceae). Genus: Tricholomopsis.

Spreading: It grows in groups, mainly on dead pine wood and in coniferous forests.

Collection season: July - end of October. Peak: August-September.

Description: The cap is convex, grows to flat, 5-15 cm in diameter, colored in orange-yellow tones, velvety, dry, covered with small fibrous scales of purple or reddish-brown color. The flesh is bright yellow, dense, thick in the cap, fibrous in the stem, with a mild or bitter taste, with the smell of rotten wood, or sourish. The plates are narrowly adherent, sinuous, colored yellowish or bright yellow colors. The leg is solid, then hollow, with a thickening at the base, often curved, 4-10 cm long, 1-2.5 cm thick. The surface of the leg is the same color as the cap, with purple or lighter scales than those on the cap. Spore powder is white.

Honey fungus or Oudemansiella mucida . Synonyms: Agaricus mucidus, Armillaria mucida, Collybia mucida, Lepiota mucida, Mucidula mucida.

Family: Physalacriaceae. Genus: Oudemansiella.

Spreading: It grows mainly in groups, on thick branches of living deciduous trees, most often beech, maple, hornbeam, almost all over the world.

Collection season: May - September.

Description: The cap is convex in shape, hemispherical in young mushrooms, mucous, painted white, light gray or creamy brown, slightly brownish in the middle, 2-10 cm in diameter. The plates are also white, widely grown, dense, with well-defined intervals . The stalk is thin, fragile, smooth, dry above the ring, mucous under the ring, 4-8 cm high, 0.4-0.7 cm wide. The surface of the stalk in the lower part is covered with small black-brown flakes. The base of the leg is thickened. The pulp is dense, yellowish-whitish. The spore powder is white or light cream.

Honey fungus (Marasmius oreades) . Synonyms: Meadow mushroom, meadow marasmius, meadow mushroom, clove mushroom, Agaricus oreades, Agaricus caryophyllaeus, Collybia oreades, Scorteus oreades.

Family: Non-rotting insects (Marasmiaceae). Genus: Marasmius.

Beneficial features: Honey fungus contains marasmic acid, which is used against Staphylococcus aureus and other pathogenic bacteria.

Spreading: Unlike most other honey mushrooms, these honey mushrooms grow mainly in open areas, on the soil of meadows, gardens, forest clearings, roadsides, ravines, etc. They bear fruit in groups, forming arcs, rows or “witch circles.” Distributed throughout the world. It can withstand severe drying, but as soon as it receives moisture from rain, it immediately comes to life.

Collection season: May - October.

Description: The cap is smooth, 2-8 cm in diameter, hemispherical at a young age, later convex, in old mushrooms it is almost flat with a blunt tubercle in the middle. The edges of the cap are translucent, slightly ribbed, and often uneven. The cap is sticky in wet weather, yellowish-brown or reddish-ocher in color, sometimes with faintly noticeable zoning. In dry weather it takes on a lighter, pale cream color. The center of the cap is always darker than its edges. The plates are 3-6 mm wide, sparse, adherent in young mushrooms, later free, with clearly visible intermediate plates. In damp weather the plates are ocher, in dry weather they are creamy-whitish. The leg is thin, but dense, sometimes sinuous, 2-10 cm long and 0.2-0.5 cm in diameter, thickened at the base, painted in a pale ocher color. The pulp is thin, whitish or pale yellow, does not change color when cut, with a slight sweetish taste and a strong, unique odor reminiscent of cloves or bitter almonds. Spore powder is white or cream.

Garlic mushrooms, or garlic mushrooms

Common garlic (Marasmius scorodonius) . Synonyms: Agaricus scorodonius, Chamaeceras scorodonius, Gymnopus scorodonius, Marasmius rubi, Marasmius scorodonius.

Family:

Spreading: Grows in large groups, mainly on twigs and rotting bark coniferous trees, in coniferous and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere. It also often grows on grassy surfaces, in dry places on the forest floor, preferring sandy and clay soils.

Collection season: July—October.

Description: The cap of young mushrooms is convex-conical or hemispherical in shape, with a tucked edge, then opens and becomes almost flat, with wavy edges, 0.5-2.5 cm in diameter. The surface of the cap is bare and smooth, less often vaguely grooved, depending on the weather, variously colored: in wet weather pinkish-brown - ocher-red, when dry - cream or ocher. The pulp is very thin, the same color as the surface, with a strong smell and taste of garlic. The plates of the hymenophore are rare, numbering 13-20, with plates, rarely intertwined or branched, almost free of stalks, painted in white - yellowish shades. The leg is shiny, bare, hard, 0.5-5 cm long, 1-2 mm thick, orangeish in the upper part below - red-brown to black. The spore print is white.

Great garlic (Marasmius alliaceus) . Synonyms: Agaricus alliaceus, Agaricus dolinensis, Chamaeceras alliaceus, Marasmius alliaceus, Marasmius alliaceus, Marasmius schoenopus, Mycena alliacea.

Family: Non-rotting insects (Marasmiaceae). Genus: Garlic (Mycetinis).

Spreading: It grows in large groups, mainly on fallen leaves, near stumps and rotting beech branches, in deciduous forests of Europe.

Collection season: June—October.

Description: The cap is 1-6.5 cm in diameter, bell-shaped or semi-prostrate, with a wide protruding tubercle, striped at the edges, whitish, turning brown in old age. The pulp is white, with a garlic-onion smell and mushroom taste. The plates are whitish, sparse, at first adherent to the stem, then free. The leg is dense, cartilaginous, thickened towards the base, sometimes root-like and elongated, brownish-brown, up to 10 cm in length and 0.2-0.3 cm in diameter. Spore powder is white.

Sometimes it can be sold under the name “honey mushrooms”.

False honey mushrooms, false honey mushrooms. Inedible honey mushrooms, poisonous honey mushrooms

False honey fungus, false honey fungus- the name of several types of poisonous or inedible mushrooms that look similar to edible honey mushrooms.

As a rule, poisonous mushrooms include the following mushrooms:
- genus Hypholoma of the Strophariaceae family;
- some representatives of the genus Psathyrella of the dung beetle family (Coprinaceae) (according to another taxonomy - Psathyrellaceae).

Sometimes certain types of false mushrooms are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms of low quality, the preparation of which requires special skills, but even in this case the safety of their consumption has not always been proven.

Poisonous honey mushrooms

Sulfur-yellow honey fungus (Hypholoma fasciculare) . Synonyms: Agaricus fascicularis, Dryophila fascicularis, Geophila fascicularis, Naematoloma fasciculare, Pratella fascicularis, Psilocybe fascicularis.

Family:

Spreading: Sulfur-yellow false honey fungus grows in large groups or bunches, mainly on old stumps or half-rotten trunks of deciduous or coniferous species trees covered with moss, as well as at the base of living and dried trees. Often inhabits trunks and broken trees lying on the ground...

Collection season:

Description: The cap is 2-7 cm in diameter, at first bell-shaped, then spread out, yellowish, yellow-brown, sulfur-yellow, lighter at the edge, darker or reddish-brown in the center. The pulp is light yellow or whitish, very bitter, with an unpleasant odor. The plates are frequent, thin, adherent to the stem, first sulfur-yellow, then greenish, black-olive. The leg is smooth, fibrous, hollow, up to 10 cm long, 0.3-0.5 cm thick, light yellow. Spore powder is chocolate brown.

Brick red honey fungus (Hypholoma sublateritium) . Synonyms: Agaricus carneolus, Agaricus pomposus, Agaricus sublateritius, Dryophila sublateritia, Geophila sublateritia, Hypholoma lateritium, Naematoloma sublateritium, Pratella lateritia, Psilocybe lateritia.

Family: Strophariaceae. Genus: Hypholoma.

Spreading: It grows in groups, bunches or colonies on rotting wood, stumps or near them of deciduous trees (oak, birch, etc.) in deciduous and mixed forests.

Collection season: July – November. Peak: August-September.

Description: The cap is rounded-convex, then half-prostrate, 4-10 cm in diameter, orange, brick-red, yellow at the edges with hanging flakes from the cobweb-fibrous blanket, brick-red in the middle, with a darker center, sometimes with red-brown spots. The pulp is dense, relatively thick, yellowish, bitter. The plates are adherent, yellowish. The leg is 4-10 cm long, 0.6-1.5 cm thick, narrowed towards the base, yellowish, brown below, without a ring, sometimes with the remains of a private veil. The spores are purple-brown.

Candolle's false honey fungus, or Psathyrella candolleana . Synonyms: Candollean grasshopper, Agaricus candolleanus, Agaricus violaceolamellatus, Drosophila candolleana, Hypholoma candolleanum, Psathyra candolleanus.

Family:

Spreading: It grows in large groups and colonies, occasionally singly, on deciduous wood, on the soil near stumps, in Eurasia and North America.

Collection season: May - October.

Description: The cap is hemispherical, then bell-shaped or wide-conical, opens to a flat one, with a rounded tubercle, 3-8 cm in diameter. The edge of the cap is wavy and sinuous, often cracked. The skin is almost smooth, covered with small, quickly disappearing scales, brownish or yellow-brown in color. The cap dries quickly and becomes yellowish or creamy white, matte, especially at the edges. Dried caps are very brittle. The pulp is thin, white, fragile, without any special taste or smell or with a mushroom odor. The plates are adherent, frequent, narrow, and when ripe they change color from whitish to gray-violet and then dark brown, porphyritic, with a lighter edge. The leg is 3-9 cm high and 0.2-0.6 cm thick, with a thickened base. The surface of the leg is white or cream, smooth, silky, fluffy at the top. The remains of the spathe are noticeable in young fruiting bodies along the edges of the cap, filamentous or in the form of fibrous hanging flakes, films, white. Spore powder is brownish-violet.

Watery honey fungus or water-loving Psathyrella piluliformis . Synonyms: Psathyrella hydrophilic, Psathyrella hydrophilic, Psathyrella spherical, Agaricus hydrophilus, Agaricus piluliformis, Drosophila piluliformis, Hypholoma piluliforme, Psathyrella hydrophila.

Family: Psathyrellaceae. Genus: Psathyrella.

Spreading: It grows in clumps or large colonies on stumps or remains of wood from deciduous trees, less often from coniferous trees. Sometimes grows around stumps. Distributed in Eurasia and North America.

Collection season: September—November.

Description: The cap is bell-shaped, convex or almost flat with grooved, often cracking edges and a rounded wide tubercle, 2-5 cm in diameter. The skin is smooth, dry, dark brown, when it dries it brightens, becoming yellow-brown, starting from the center of the cap. The pulp is thin, brown, watery, mild or bitter taste, odorless. The plates are adherent, dense, light brown, then darken to brown-black with a light edge. In humid weather, the plates secrete droplets of liquid. The leg is hollow, sometimes curved, relatively dense, 4-8 cm high, 0.5-0.8 cm thick. The surface of the leg is smooth, silky, light brown underneath, top part covered with a white powdery coating. The remains of the spathe are white, flaky, visible at the edges of the cap. Spore powder is violet-brown.
The main symptoms of poisoning with poisonous honey mushrooms: after eating mushrooms, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and loss of consciousness appear after 1-6 hours. At the first signs of poisoning, immediately contact the nearest medical facility.

Edible honey mushrooms

Hypholoma capnoides . Synonyms: Pine honey fungus, Agaricus capnoides, Dryophila capnoides, Geophila capnoides, Naematoloma capnoides, Psilocybe capnoides.

Family: Strophariaceae. Genus: Hypholoma.

Spreading: It grows in large groups and colonies, occasionally singly, on stumps, rotting pines and spruces, and roots in coniferous forests.

Collection season: August—October. Peak: September–October

Description: The cap is 2-8 cm in diameter, convex, then spread out, sticky in wet weather. The color of the cap is pale yellow or dirty yellow with a lighter edge and a yellow or ocher center. As it ripens, the color changes to ocher-brownish, rusty-brown, sometimes with brownish-rusty spots. The pulp is white or pale yellow, with a pleasant smell. The plates of young mushrooms are whitish or yellowish, then bluish-gray, darkening with age. The stalk is hollow, without a ring, sometimes with the remains of a private veil, yellowish, rusty-brown below, 3-10 cm long, 0.4-0.8 cm in diameter. The spores are bluish-gray.

How to distinguish a false honey mushroom from a real one?

How to distinguish real honey mushrooms from false ones? Main difference- a ring on the stem, which is present in edible honey mushrooms. Poisonous honey mushrooms do not have a ring.

In addition to those types of edible mushrooms that are used in cooking, there are several specific options that are dangerous to humans. Outwardly, they are very similar to each other; they also grow on stumps and fallen trees. Their most important difference is that false mushrooms are poisonous, inedible (or, in extreme cases, conditionally edible). Only experts can accurately determine where false honey mushrooms and edible honey mushrooms are. But if you know their characteristics, an ordinary amateur mushroom picker will be able to distinguish a toadstool from a good mushroom.

It is important to remember the rule here: “If you’re not sure, it’s better not to take it!” You can only collect those mushrooms - edible honey mushrooms - that you are one hundred percent sure of. It is better to leave copies that do not inspire confidence where they were found. Even poisonous mushrooms must grow and multiply so as not to upset the balance, but you should not pick them and then throw them away.

What do they look like and where do they grow?

A specialist knows how to distinguish false honey mushrooms from real ones, although it is not at all difficult. The edible mushroom has a characteristic length and a fairly flexible stalk. It can reach 15 – 17 cm and has a honey or dark brown color. It depends on the age of the mushroom and where it grows. Edible honey mushrooms - although not all of them - have something like a skirt on the stem; this ring is usually located just above the middle. As for the cap itself, it may differ depending on the age of the plant.

In young mushrooms, the cap is hemispherical in shape and covered with small scales; as it grows, it becomes smoother, taking on the appearance of an umbrella. The color may vary slightly and can be a light cream shade or even reddish.

Even a child probably knows where to find it and what it looks like, because the name speaks for itself. Mushrooms grow primarily on damaged or weakened trees, stumps and protruding roots. Already rotted and dead trees are also a favorable environment. There is a separate species of spruce that grows exclusively on pine stumps.

There is one species - this is the meadow honey fungus - which, unlike the others, grows in open areas in the soil. It can be found in meadows, fields, and roadsides.

They grow in any forests, with the exception of permafrost areas. High humidity has a beneficial effect on the population, but meadow mushrooms are often found in damp ravines. Mushrooms rarely grow alone, in most cases it is large families, clusters in one place. They can stretch in a chain up to several meters, especially under the bark of plants damaged by time. But autumn honey fungus is generally classified as a pest: they spoil the tree, creating favorable living conditions for themselves.

Beneficial features

Thanks to the characteristic germination in large areas at a time, you can collect a whole basket of tasty and healthy mushrooms. Yes, healthy ones, and, in addition, also low-calorie.

Honey mushrooms, like most other edible mushrooms, contain a large number of various substances necessary for the body:

• phosphorus;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• calcium;
• iron;
• zinc;
• cellulose;
• amino acids;
• polysaccharides.

In addition, this variety is rich in vitamins B, C, PP and E, and also has such an amount of protein that it easily replaces meat. Therefore, this product can be eaten by those who take care of their figure, as well as by those who do not eat meat.

In terms of phosphorus content, hemp mushrooms are not inferior to river and other types of fish. They are eaten to strengthen bones and as a preventive measure for disorders in the bone structure. Due to the content of important microelements (magnesium and copper, as well as iron), mushrooms have a positive effect on hematopoietic processes. For those suffering from anemia, these forest gifts are not easy tasty food, and one of the best means to raise hemoglobin.

Few people know that there are actually a lot of types of honey mushrooms, and each has its own composition. Some varieties have more of some vitamins, others have more calcium or potassium. Some varieties are so rich in retinol that they significantly improve the quality and strength of hair, while others strengthen the immune system and correct hormonal levels.

Constant consumption of honey mushrooms has an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect on the body. They can prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Differences between false honey mushrooms and real ones

The first most important feature by which poisonous specimens are distinguished is the well-known skirt. It remains after the mushroom germinates from under the protective blanket. False honey fungus does not have such a film, but it happens that over time the skirt disappears on edible mushrooms: it falls off and it becomes very easy to confuse the mushrooms.

Dangerous to humans and healthy mushrooms They also differ in smell, such mushrooms look different, they can also be distinguished by color and taste.

Aroma

Edible honey mushrooms produce oils that give a pleasant mushroom smell. Poisonous and false honey mushrooms have a very unpleasant and more earthy aroma. This smell is especially noticeable after heat treatment of mushrooms. But the autumn honey fungus emits a rich odor during the breeding season and in the rain.

Color

Smell poisonous species repels, but the color, on the contrary, attracts. Mushroom caps have a richer, brighter color. Good autumn mushrooms have a pale or creamy tint, sometimes darker, closer to brown. But false honey mushrooms, unlike edible ones, can be gray-yellow or an attractive brick red color. But it is also important to pay attention to the shade of the plates under the mushroom cap. In false ones they are yellow, in older but edible ones they can be green or even black. Only healthy honey mushrooms have cream or beige plates.

Appearance

Those mushrooms described earlier can be eaten without fear. Their caps are covered with small, barely noticeable scales. U false species it's smooth. But over time, even the scales of edible mushrooms smooth out, so that only young plants can be recognized by this feature.

Taste

Of course, you shouldn’t try every plant in a row to determine whether they can be eaten. However, false honey mushrooms have a bitter, unpleasant aftertaste, which cannot be said about healthy, edible varieties, for example, autumn honey mushroom.

For a person who regularly collects mushrooms, likes to cook them, or simply understands the gifts of the forest, it will not be difficult to distinguish poisonous or false mushrooms from edible mushrooms. Among the safe mushrooms is the autumn honey fungus, which grows on trees and destroys them. In dry weather it can be confused with any mushroom at all, but in the rainy season the bunches show characteristic signs. So, even knowing what edible honey mushrooms look like, you can make a mistake.

Instead of tasting dubious sprouts, it is better to pay attention to the skirt and, even if it is no longer there, after looking closely, you can identify it by neighboring specimens, because they grow in groups and differ in different germination times.
Experience comes with time, practice and years, and until there is confidence in the safety of the collected mushrooms, it is better not to risk either your own or the health of loved ones.

Edible or false scent

autumn open air,

Openka thick-legged.

Smell

Leg

Records

Cap texture

Color

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Honey mushrooms- wonderful and very tasty mushrooms. However, you should be careful when collecting them. There are often cases when novice mushroom pickers confuse them with the so-called “false” honey mushrooms. False honey mushrooms are very similar to real ones and often grow with them literally side by side. But the similarity is only external: a false honey can cause serious poisoning. Therefore, so that your mushroom picking does not end in failure, you should know a few simple rules that will allow you to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible ones.

Instructions

The first and most noticeable sign of a real honey mushroom is the characteristic rim or ring around the stem immediately below the cap. False mushrooms do not have such a ring. If there are doubts, or the rim is not bright enough, such mushrooms should be avoided: the first rule of a mushroom picker is not to take a questionable mushroom.

The second sign you should pay attention to is coloring. A real honey fungus usually looks inconspicuous, its cap is light brown or brown, often with dark brown or coffee specks on the cap. The honey fungus is camouflaged and does not attract unnecessary attention; you have to try hard to find it. False honey fungus is much more brightly colored. It is characterized by a yellow, lemon or reddish color. Families of false mushrooms are visible from quite a distance, and it is their visibility for a mushroom picker that is a good reason to be wary. False honey mushrooms do not have scales or specks similar to those found in real honey mushrooms. Their cap is usually smooth and often shiny.

To be more confident, you can smell the mushroom that has raised doubts. Real honey fungus emits a delicious mushroom smell. False honey fungus will smell earthy and damp.

False honey fungus tastes different from the real thing. Most false mushrooms have a characteristic bitterness in their taste. In order to feel it, the mushroom does not have to be cooked. It is enough to chew a piece of raw mushroom. If you feel bitterness, you should immediately spit it out and rinse your mouth: although not all types of false mushrooms are poisonous, there is still no need to risk it.

Another difference between real and false honey mushrooms is the color of the spores. These are the “seeds” of the mushroom, located between the plates under the cap and usually fall out if you shake the mushroom with your palm under the cap. The spores of the true honey mushroom are light-colored, from beige to white. False mushroom spores are likely to be dark, brick to purple in color.

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Related article

False honey mushrooms include different kinds mushrooms, resembling real honey mushrooms in appearance. Some of them are considered conditionally edible, but their harmlessness to the human body has not been proven.

Instructions

Look at the leg of the honey mushroom - real edible honey mushrooms always have a light, thin ring-film around the leg under the cap. In the false honey fungus you can only see the remains of a ring, but in the edible honey mushroom this filmy ring is clearly visible. This is the most objective and one of the main indicators that should be used to distinguish. To help children quickly remember the main difference between false mushrooms, offer them a poem:
At the edible honey mushroom

On the leg there is a ring made of film.

And the false ones all have honey mushrooms

Legs bare to toe.

Another clear indicator of a false honey mushroom is the characteristic bright color. Real honey mushrooms are always light brown or yellowish in color, while false ones can be bright brown, orange, or brick red.

Examine the underside of the cap. The plates under the cap of false mushrooms are yellow, while in very old ones they are greenish or even olive-black. Edible honey mushrooms have yellowish-white or cream-colored plates.

Look on the Internet for illustrations and photographs of false mushrooms. The greatest resemblance to real edible honey mushrooms are sulfur-yellow, brick-red and gray-plate false honey mushrooms.

The brick-red honey fungus has a smooth cap with a diameter of 10 cm, the color of the cap in the center is first reddish-orange, later brick-red, and yellowish along the edge. The plates are frequent, adherent to the stem, whitish, then gray-yellow and black-olive. Leg without ring. The pulp is white, in older ones it is yellowish, with an unpleasant odor and bitter taste.

Sulfur-yellow honey mushrooms have a thin-fleshy cap, sulfur-yellow, with a darker color in the center, maybe with a reddish or orange tint, the diameter is about 2-5 cm. The plates are first sulfur-yellow, later greenish-olive. The flesh of the mushroom is light yellow and tastes bitter.

Gray-plated honey mushrooms grow on the wood of coniferous trees and are in many ways similar to sulfur-yellow ones. Some mushroom pickers classify them as mushrooms. The plates under the cap of these are thin and frequent, at first light gray, later colored by mature spores in a darker, brownish-black color.

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Helpful advice

The main rule of even an experienced mushroom picker is not to experiment and not to eat suspicious types of mushrooms. If in doubt, it is better to classify the mushroom as poisonous without regret.

Sources:

• Gifts of the forest. False honey mushrooms

Honey mushrooms are popularly called mushrooms, which actually belong to different families. The name comes from the word “stump”, since they grow in groups mainly on stumps. If you're lucky, you can collect up to 10 kg of these from one place delicious mushrooms. The main thing is to be able to distinguish real honey mushrooms from false ones.

Instructions

First, remember, and real summer ones. They most often appear on the stumps of deciduous or coniferous trees, as well as in dead wood. There is no need to go looking for them. earlier than the start July. Beige or brown honey mushrooms have scales, reach a maximum of eight cm in diameter and have a bulge in the center. In early honey mushrooms, the edges of the cap are turned inward, while in later ones there is no bulge. On the inside of the caps there are frequent light or plates. The shade depends on the age of the mushroom. The thin cylindrical legs of honey mushrooms have a thickening closer to the base.

When cutting a mushroom, pay attention to the inside. The pulp should not change color and should not emit a pungent odor. If the mushrooms are young, when the cap is removed, a kind of “skirt” should remain on the stem. The inside of the leg should be hard and fibrous.

Study photo galleries and encyclopedias to better imagine what real and false mushrooms look like in general, because a verbal description is not enough.

Do not confuse real honey mushrooms with false honey mushrooms. They differ from each other only in the color of the plates. In false ones, as the name suggests, they are gray.

Pay attention to the color of the spores. They are located on the inside of the cap; to get them out, just shake the mushroom over your palm and they will fall out. The spores of real honey mushrooms are colorless or white, ovoid or ellipsoid in shape, and certainly smooth. In false ones, they have a dark shade: from brick to purple.

For greater confidence, you can chew a piece of raw mushroom. But only as a last resort - it’s better to simply abandon the dubious opinion. False honey mushrooms have a bitter aftertaste.

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Helpful advice

For mature honey mushrooms, only the caps need to be cut off; the stems are inedible.

Sources:

• Varieties of honey mushrooms
• For honey mushrooms. Magazine "Science and Life"

One of the best and most beloved mushrooms is honey fungus. But most likely not everyone knows that there is even more calcium and phosphorus in this mushroom than in fish. A wide variety of dishes are prepared from honey mushrooms. They are fried, boiled, stewed, pickled, dried and salted.

Instructions

Unlike many other types of mushrooms, honey mushrooms simply tolerate transportation well. They do not break along the road, but are like rubber, compressed and springy. Honey mushrooms are very easy to process.

An indispensable condition when preparing a dish from honey mushrooms is its thorough boiling. Eating mushrooms often causes stomach upset. It is this property of mushrooms so beloved in Russia that makes them unloved in Europe. Some even for this reason classify them as inedible mushrooms.

When collecting these mushrooms, you need to be extremely careful and not confuse them with false ones. Although if you look closely, the similarity between false mushrooms and real ones lies only in the fact that they grow in the same numerous families. But in other respects they differ - in taste, smell, color of the plates and cap, and even the structure of the stem.

Fresh honey mushrooms must be cooked for at least forty minutes. But you shouldn’t do this for more than an hour either. When mushrooms boil and foam forms on the surface of the water, the water needs to be changed and only then continue to cook the mushrooms until tender. If honey mushrooms are frozen, they are first defrosted and then boiled over low heat for about 20 minutes.

Honey mushrooms contain a lot of different vitamins: E, C, PP, as well as B vitamins. These mushrooms do not lag behind others in the content of microelements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, magnesium, zinc, copper. They contain valuable amino acids, natural sugars, fiber, and ash.

Edible or false honey fungus

Before going into the forest, it is important to study the question of what kind of given time year, the most common honey mushroom grows. The same goes for “imitator” mushrooms.

Knowing where honey mushrooms and false honey mushrooms grow will not in itself help a mushroom picker distinguish between edible and inedible specimens. Both of them can choose the same trees, stumps, dead wood, rhizomes, or simply grow in the grass.

The honey mushroom group includes many species. We will talk about the most common and favorite mushroom pickers:

autumn open air,

Openka thick-legged.

It is with these two types of mushrooms that the most common false honey mushrooms are usually confused:

False honey mushrooms (false honey mushrooms) brick-red,

False honey mushrooms (false honey mushrooms) are sulfur-yellow.

How to distinguish honey mushrooms from false ones: simple rules

There are simple rules on how to distinguish a real honey mushroom.

Smell

If you doubt whether a false honey fungus is growing in front of you or not, the first thing you can do is smell the cap. An edible mushroom has a pleasant, characteristic mushroom aroma, while an inedible one has a rather unpleasant, earthy amber.

Leg

The leg of a young edible honey mushroom is usually decorated with a “skirt” of film, which serves as protection for the fruiting body. Mushroom imitators do not have it!

Records

If you turn the mushroom upside down, you can examine the color of the plates. In edible specimens it is white with a yellowish tint, creamy, in false specimens it is from yellow to olive and blackish.

Cap texture

An important distinguishing feature that allows you to distinguish edible honey mushrooms from false ones is the surface of the mushroom cap. In a young (not overripe!) honey mushroom it can be scaly, while in a false honey mushroom it is usually smooth.

Color

The caps of edible honey mushrooms are painted in a calm light brown color, while the “caps” of false mushrooms are more elegant. The palette of false honey mushrooms ranges from the color of sulfur to the color of red brick.

And, of course, the first rule for any novice mushroom picker will never lose relevance: if you’re not sure, don’t take it. If you are collecting honey mushrooms for the first time, the harvest must be shown to a more experienced amateur before use. quiet hunt.

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To be honest, it is very difficult to judge whether honey mushrooms belong to real or false honey mushrooms due to the species diversity of the group. Theoretically, many edible species are considered to be true, while most conditionally edible and inedible species are considered false. In practice, it turns out that in addition to relatively harmless conditionally edible “relatives,” many honey mushrooms also have more dangerous (including poisonous) counterparts outside the group. And if eating the former is quite acceptable after preliminary soaking and boiling, then the latter pose the same danger as death cap. Poisoning, by the way, can be caused by both unprepared false honey mushrooms and poorly washed or old specimens of edible species - real honey mushrooms. In mild cases, symptoms of poisoning are expressed in damage to the central nervous system - the appearance of headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. In more serious cases, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and nose bleed, which without timely medical care can lead to hemorrhage in the brain stem, coma and even death. As for the poisonous analogues of the pale grebe, they toxic effect At first it manifests itself differently: blood pressure drops, the pulse weakens, and loss of consciousness is possible. More expressive symptoms - constant vomiting, diarrhea and intestinal colic - appear in a person at least 6 hours after eating mushrooms, and, unfortunately, are extremely rarely treatable. In most cases, death occurs within 10 days from the moment of poisoning.

The most unpleasant thing about the Honey Mushroom group is that the mushrooms included in it do not have common external characteristics that are the same for all species, by which their edibility could be clearly determined. Moreover, some honey mushrooms tend to partially “change their appearance” depending on the weather or the type of wood on which they grow. Experienced mushroom pickers, of course, are already prepared for such “surprises”, so they pay attention to additional signs, but beginners, unfortunately, often ignore them. Considering that determine the list common features Whether edible or inedible honey mushrooms is problematic, a beginner, even before starting the “hunt” for these mushrooms, is strongly recommended to receive a “visual consultation” about them and about the distinctive features of twin mushrooms from an experienced mushroom picker. By the way, it is not at all necessary to study the entire group and counterparts of each species: it is enough to limit yourself to in-depth knowledge of at least one or two that are most common in your area. With regard to unstudied species, you will simply have to adhere to the rule “if you’re not sure, don’t take it.”

Novice mushroom pickers, as a rule, pay maximum attention to the most recognizable mushrooms - Winter honey agaric(Flammulina velutipes), summer honey mushroom (Kuehneromyces mutabilis) and autumn honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea). First of listed types differs from other honey mushrooms in that its fruiting begins in late autumn (late September) and can, under favorable conditions, last throughout the winter. Flammulina grows on the stumps of deciduous trees or on dead wood and has a honey-brown smooth cap - hemispherical in young mushrooms and prostrate in adult specimens, which becomes slimy in wet weather. Due to the very late fruiting, this mushroom is quite difficult to confuse with other species, but you need to remember that it characteristic features is the cream color of the plates and pulp at the break, as well as the absence of scales and rings on a thin stalk typical of some edible honey mushrooms. Although flammulina (winter honey fungus) appears in the literature as conditionally edible mushroom, by many mushroom pickers it is considered not only one of the most delicious among honey mushrooms, but also the best for growing at home. “Home” winter mushrooms, as a rule, have even better taste than their forest counterparts, are easy to grow and, which is important for beginner mushroom pickers, remain completely safe.

Found in forests from April to late October. It grows on stumps and rotten wood of deciduous trees (mainly birch), and on coniferous trees only in mountainous areas. Externally, this honey fungus is easily recognizable in damp weather: its smooth, hygrophanic (swelling from dampness) sticky cap with a diameter of up to 8 cm acquires a pronounced two-color color with a light brown center and a dark (brown or brown) wide stripe along the edge. In young specimens the cap is small, convex and covered with a film-veil in the lower part. Gradually it grows, becomes flat-convex, and the remains of the veil form an expressive membranous ring on the stem, which in very old specimens may disappear over time. In dry weather, the cap of the summer honey fungus becomes dry and acquires a uniform honey-yellow color, so the mushroom has to be identified by additional features: a ring and small scales on the stalk, creamy-brown plates, as well as a brown layer of spore powder, which is often sprinkled on old specimens » mushroom caps of the lower tier.

From spring to early summer, other honey mushrooms can be found in deciduous forests - spring(Collybia dryophila) and white slimy(Oudemansiella mucida), which are very easy to distinguish from summer honey fungus. Spring honey fungus can grow on rotten wood and on litter, and white slimy honey fungus can grow both on dead wood and on living deciduous trees (maple, beech), along the trunks of which it sometimes “climbs” all the way to the crown. The first species also has a two-color hygrophanous cap, but with the exact opposite color - darker in the center and lighter at the edges; it is missing the ring and scales on the stalk, and the spore powder is creamy white. Although the white mucous honey fungus has a clearly defined ring on the stalk, in appearance it bears little resemblance to the summer honey mushroom: the mushroom is almost all white (cream-gray), slippery in any weather and has no scales on the stalk or cap. Unlike the summer honey fungus, which is characterized good taste and a pleasant smell, both of these types of special nutritional value are not represented and are usually used in dishes as a “meaty” addition to other mushrooms. In the literature, the spring honey fungus appears as a conditionally edible mushroom, and the white mucous mushroom - as an edible one, but most mycologists do not classify either of these species as false honey mushrooms and do not call them dangerous.

The danger when collecting summer honey mushrooms can be represented by weakly poisonous or inedible honey mushrooms from the genus Hypholoma (Hypholoma capnoides) and sulfur-yellow honey mushrooms (Hypholoma fasciculare). The first type is very similar to the summer honey fungus with a hygrophanic cap, which can also change color saturation (from pale yellow to rusty brown with light edges) and become sticky depending on the weather. But unlike summer honey mushrooms, the sulphurous honey fungus has neither a ring nor scales on its stem. In addition, with age, the plates of this mushroom change color from white-yellow to a characteristic poppy-gray, and its fruiting begins only in mid-summer, which already excludes the possibility of confusing it with the summer honey fungus during the spring harvest. The most noticeable difference can be considered that the sulfur-plated false honey fungus prefers to grow mainly on dead wood, stumps, rotting roots and even on litter, but completely “neglects” deciduous trees. Therefore, collecting summer honey mushrooms only in deciduous forests makes it possible to eliminate as much as possible the possibility of it accidentally ending up in the basket. It is interesting that, despite the name, the sulfur-plated false honey fungus is considered both in the literature and among mushroom pickers to be a completely edible mushroom with white-yellow flesh and a pleasant smell. However, it is indicated that it should be eaten only after preliminary boiling, and try to avoid old specimens, which acquire a musty, rotten-damp unpleasant aftertaste.

U Sulfur-yellow false fungus The beginning of fruiting occurs in the spring, as with the summer honey fungus, and this mushroom is also found in large groups on dead wood and rotting stumps, mainly of deciduous trees. Like young summer honey mushrooms, its young specimens have rounded caps with a private veil, but they are usually colored in more “flashy” yellow-olive shades. As the mushroom grows, the cover remains on it not in the form of a ring on the stem, but in the form of rags (cobweb fringe) along the edge of the cap that disappear over time. The main distinguishing features of the sulfur-yellow mushroom are the absence of a ring and scales on the stalk, as well as the color of the plates, which gradually changes from yellow-green (in young mushrooms) to dark violet-brown (in old ones). The yellowish pulp of this mushroom has an unpleasant heavy odor and bitter taste, and the mushroom itself is listed in encyclopedias as mildly poisonous or inedible, which should already speak volumes to a conscious mushroom picker.

There is also a noticeable resemblance to the summer honey fungus. False foam Candoll(Psathyrella candolleana), which was previously classified in the literature as a poisonous mushroom, but has now moved into the group of conditionally edible mushrooms. This mushroom grows in large groups from May to autumn on stumps and living wood of deciduous trees, mainly in shady places. It can be distinguished from the summer honey fungus by the remnants of the blanket (transparent flakes, film) on the edges of the “changeable” cap, which can change color from almost white to yellow-brown, and in adult specimens it becomes very prostrate and very brittle. The Candol honey mushroom also does not have a ring on its leg, and the color of its plates changes from a grayish tint to dark brown. In comparison with previous species, this false fungus is less known, since it is much less common and is ignored by many mushroom pickers. However, eating it is quite acceptable, albeit after preliminary processing (soaking and cooking).

Mushroom pickers unanimously call the poisonous mushroom a very dangerous false double of the summer honey mushroom. Galerina bordered(Galerina marginata). In size, the galerina is slightly inferior to the honey mushroom (the cap is no more than 4 cm in diameter, the stalk is no higher than 5 cm), but otherwise - the presence of a smooth, prone to “variability” hygrophanic cap of brown-ocher color, a cover in young mushrooms and a ring on the stalk in adults - the resemblance to summer honey mushrooms is simply frightening. There is this one poisonous mushroom from early summer to mid-autumn in different forests, but grows in small groups mainly on rotten coniferous wood. In addition to this feature, the most noticeable difference between the fringed galerina and the summer honey fungus can be considered only the fibrous (and not scaly!) surface of the stalk below the ring. Eating this mushroom is fraught with serious consequences, since its pulp contains deadly amatoxins contained in toadstool. Therefore, in order to minimize the likelihood of collecting deadly false doubles during a “quiet hunt,” it is strongly recommended to collect summer honey mushrooms only on the remains of deciduous trees, and even better, exclusively on birch stumps.

Autumn honey fungus has its own conditionally edible counterparts, with which it can be confused. The greatest similarity is typical for Honey fungus thick-legged(Armillaria gallica) and Common scale (Pholiota squarrosa), the fruiting period of which also occurs in late summer - autumn. The first type is often perceived by many mushroom pickers simply as a variety of autumn honey fungus, since it has similar soft colors, scales and a ring on the stem. However, the thick-legged honey fungus extremely rarely grows on living wood and stumps, more often it lives on the forest floor (even spruce) and bears fruit not in waves, like the autumn honey fungus, but constantly. In addition, thick-legged honey mushrooms never grow together into very large bunches, like autumn honey mushrooms, and have a characteristic tuberous thickening in the lower part of the legs. The honey fungus is considered an edible mushroom, but because the flesh of the stems is too hard, mushroom pickers prefer to use only the caps for cooking and pickling.

(Pholiota squarrosa) differs in appearance from the autumn honey fungus, perhaps only in larger scales. It also grows in large groups on both living and rotten wood, mainly of deciduous trees, and has a ring on a thin stalk, “typical” for autumn mushrooms, and a relatively large (up to 10 cm in diameter) cap. Biologists have different opinions regarding the edibility of this mushroom, since in different literary sources it is called edible, conditionally edible, and even inedible. In practice, many domestic mushroom pickers use common flakes for pickling, but only after mandatory preliminary boiling. Please note: you can distinguish the scaly mushroom from the autumn honey fungus not only by its large scales, but also by the tougher flesh of the cap, which is not typical for a real honey mushroom.

A similar “scaly” appearance, but with a rich yellow-orange-red tint, has another species from the genus Honey fungus, or yellow-red row (Tricholomopsis rutilans), which in late summer - early autumn is found in small groups (3 - 4 ) on dead wood and stumps, mainly in coniferous (usually pine) forests. In addition to its place of growth and “screaming” color, the row differs from the autumn honey mushroom in its smaller size (the cap is no more than 7 in diameter) and in that it does not have a ring on the stem, so an attentive mushroom picker is unlikely to be able to put it in a basket instead of the autumn mushrooms. This mushroom is considered conditionally edible in the fourth category, but due to the bitter taste, which is removed only after soaking and pre-boiling, many mushroom pickers try not to collect it at all.

During the period of mass autumn collection, honey mushrooms often mistakenly include (Hypholoma sublateritium) in the baskets of mushroom pickers. This fungus is found more often in light, well-ventilated deciduous forests (on dead wood and stumps), and much less often on the wood of coniferous trees. Externally, this false mushroom is perhaps more similar to the summer honey fungus, as it has a smooth, slightly velvety brick-red cap without scales, but the absence of a ring and scales on the stem, as well as the presence of remnants of a cover along the edge of the cap, clearly indicate that it belongs to the false honey fungus . Since the brick-red false honey fungus bears fruit in August - October, and the size of its cap in diameter can reach 12 cm, it is often mistaken for autumn honey fungus. In the literature, this mushroom appears either as inedible or as poisonous, so it is better to avoid collecting any “red-tinged” honey mushrooms in the fall, out of harm’s way.

It is interesting that the song invented by mushroom pickers, in which “the edible honey mushroom has a ring of film on its leg,” is completely unsuitable for identifying edible species of “atypical” honey mushrooms - representatives of the genus Negnyuchnik (Marasmius) - which never grow on wood (deadwood, stumps ). The most famous of them are considered Garlics(common, large, oak) and meadow honey fungus. Garlics are found in late summer - autumn in forests of various types on dry forest floors and are characterized by small caps (no more than 5 cm), the color of which can vary from completely white to brownish. In adult mushrooms, the caps are often very spread out, even slightly inverted, and the legs are very thin (up to 0.5 cm), usually hard and colored dark (from brown to black). Despite the fact that garlic mushrooms do not have the scales and rings on their legs that are “typical” for many edible honey mushrooms, they are considered absolutely edible lamellar mushrooms, which can be eaten fresh, pickled and dried. During a “quiet hunt” they are easy to identify by their characteristic garlic smell, the absence of a skirt on the leg and relatively rare wavy plates of white or cream color. Theoretically, due to the well-defined garlic smell, these mushrooms are difficult to confuse with other mushrooms, but if beginners, according to the well-known “mushroom picker’s song,” look for mushrooms with skirts on the litter, then with a high probability real pale toadstools may end up in their baskets.

Unlike all of the above, honey mushrooms (Marasmius oreades) grow on grassy soil in open meadows, pastures, along roadsides, in gardens, in forest clearings and forest edges. The mushroom is very small: the cap is only up to 5 cm in diameter, the height of the stem is on average no more than 6 cm. The meadow honey fungus bears fruit very abundantly from the beginning of summer to the end of October, forming entire rows and so-called “witch circles” in the grass. The cap of the meadow honey agaric is hygrophanous and resembles in color wood-loving collibia with a creamy-brown center and light edges, but unlike it, the meadow mushroom has a very pleasant taste and aromatic mushroom smell, therefore, even despite its small size, it is quite popular among mushroom pickers. Like the representatives of the Negniyuchnik genus described above, this honey mushroom does not have a ring on the leg and the white-cream plates are located relatively sparsely, which is why they often look wavy.

Amateur mushroom pickers often confuse the meadow honey fungus with the wood-loving collibia described above and with A whitish talker(Clitocybe dealbata). But if the first, as a rule, does not pose a serious danger, then the second is a deadly false mushroom, since its pulp contains more muscarine poison than any red fly agaric. The worst thing is that this poisonous twin bears fruit in the same period, and grows in similar conditions, and has a size similar to the meadow mushroom. The talker's hat is usually colored White color with a gray or ocher tint and in rainy weather it becomes slimy, but unlike the meadow honey agaric, it does not have a convex center and looks rather flat or depressed. In addition to this feature, the talker can be identified by its more frequent plates than those of the meadow honey fungus, which in mature specimens usually have a light yellow color.

Taking into account the above, we can conclude that when collecting honey mushrooms, it is definitely impossible to “row with a common comb” of all species, so for a beginner, consultation with knowledgeable mushroom pickers will not be superfluous. By the way, in order to avoid poisoning, absolutely all lovers of “quiet hunting” are advised to never be greedy with honey mushrooms - not to collect overripe specimens and to give preference only to young mushrooms, the appearance of which most closely matches the description of the species, taking into account all additional characteristics.