Edible and false honey mushrooms: how to avoid falling into a dangerous trap. By what signs can you distinguish false honey mushrooms from edible ones? Edible or false honey fungus

All mushroom connoisseurs know how tasty honey mushrooms are when fried, pickled or in any other form: mushroom soup, caviar, pies. But in order for the food to be a success and not lead to unpleasant consequences, it is important to know how to distinguish honey mushrooms from false honey mushrooms.

Let's learn to understand the differences between real honey mushrooms and their unsafe relatives in order to protect ourselves and loved ones from poisoning.

Honey mushrooms are all lamellar mushrooms with caps that grow on trees, dead wood and stumps. Some of them are edible, aromatic and tasty, others are bitter and dangerous to health, and sometimes life. Let's look at the main differences between real honey mushrooms and false ones, which are visible to the naked eye and will be understandable even to inexperienced mushroom pickers.

Honey mushroom leg

There is a ring on the leg. Inedible honey mushrooms do not have a ring or have residual signs of it (traces of the ring, tissue fragments). In addition, the leg of a real honey mushroom is low (except for adult specimens) - 4-6 cm, while a false one reaches 10 cm.

The exception is edible meadow mushrooms, whose legs grow up to 30 cm tall!

Honey mushroom records

Genuine honey mushrooms are distinguished by pale yellow or cream plates, false ones - yellow, later - green, dark olive and almost black.

Honey mushroom hat

No matter what environment they grow in (light or dense forest, wet or dry), their caps are not very bright: they are usually pale brown, with small dark scales (adult mushrooms have darker caps and no scales).

And the caps of false mushrooms are always bright: yellow-gray, rusty-red or red-brown, and without scales.

The taste of honey mushroom

Some false mushrooms are no less tasty than genuine honey mushrooms: not all poisonous mushrooms have a bitter taste. But this does not mean that they can be safely cooked: there are only a couple of exceptions - Candoll honey fungus and poppy honey fungus.

The smell of honey fungus

Edible honey mushrooms have a pleasant, pungent mushroom aroma, while poisonous ones smell like mold or damp earth.

Honey mushroom's reaction to contact with water

If you have doubts about the authenticity of a mushroom, put it in water: false mushrooms will turn black or blue.

Summer honey mushrooms, unlike their autumn counterparts, can bear fruit in spring, summer, and autumn. Summer honey mushrooms, as a rule, grow long legs and large caps. How to distinguish them from poisonous mushrooms?

• Summer honey fungus hat. Although its diameter is sometimes 10 cm, its walls are thin and the edges are slightly curved inward, where the tissue of the fungus resembles a spider's web. The color of the hat is yellowish-brown, there are scales.
• Summer honey fungus records. The color of the plates of genuine honey fungus is whitish, rusty or brown (they darken as the mushroom grows).
• Leg of summer honey fungus. Sometimes its leg grows extremely long - up to 30 cm, but at the same time remains brown, with a ring.

False mushrooms have no rings, the caps are bright and smooth, without scales.

Now you know how to distinguish honey mushrooms from false honey mushrooms. If you have doubts about a mushroom, it is better not to cut it at all or do a water test at home. Gradually you will gain mushroom experience, and you will know exactly where the honey fungus is edible and where it is poisonous.

The name of the mushrooms “honey mushrooms” translated from Latin means “bracelet”. Colonies of forest inhabitants really resemble decorations on old wood due to their peculiar form of growth.

• In the baskets of mushroom pickers who go quiet hunting in the forests middle zone In Russia, honey mushrooms are often found. Mushroom pickers love them because mushrooms can be used to diversify the summer menu: honey mushrooms are one of the ingredients in soups, they are salted, dried mushrooms are prepared for the winter, and fried.
• You can find a bunch of honey mushrooms in the summer on stumps, in damp places in the forest. Mushrooms grow on the bark of trees. Mushrooms like deciduous and coniferous trees. Fungus spores can also be found in dead woods - areas of the forest that are difficult for humans to reach.
• The thickets of mushrooms will provide the hunter for the forest delicacy with a hearty meal, because mushrooms grow in colonies. One expanded family of honey mushrooms can replenish the supplies of a lover of quiet hunting with 10 kg of product, and a week later a new crop of mushrooms will grow in the same place. You can collect honey mushrooms before winter.
• Since the stems have no nutritional value, only the caps are cut off when harvesting. To prevent the dish from becoming bitter, the honey mushrooms are lightly boiled beforehand.

You can find a bunch of honey mushrooms in the summer on stumps, in damp places in the forest

How not to confuse summer honey mushrooms with poisonous mushrooms and protect your family from health problems? After all, not everyone has extensive experience hunting for honey mushrooms.

Summer honey mushrooms, which can be used to diversify the menu without fear:

• thin-walled yellowish-brown cap (at the initial stage of growth, its outer edges can curl inward)
• caps grow up to 8 cm in diameter
• underneath the cap you can see a cobwebby cover
• The cap of a young honey mushroom is not flat on top, but has a convexity in the center (than older mushroom, the smaller the convexity)
• the surface of the cap is covered with water circles
• if you turn over the cap of an edible honey mushroom, you can see white or rusty-brown plates
• the older the mushroom, the darker and more contrasting the shade of the plates appears (the intensity of the color depends on the degree of maturation of the spore powder inside the plates, which is red-brown in its mature state)
• The length of the mushroom stem can be 8 cm, but the diameter is invariably thin - up to 0.5 cm
• the leg is brown, the ring on it is also brown
• scales are located under the ring

What is the difference between good mushrooms and their inedible counterparts?

• In order not to worry and risk your well-being, you need to know the signs of honey mushrooms that are not suitable for consumption. After all, their poisonous counterparts have excellent camouflage.
  For example, while hunting for mushrooms you may encounter false scent sulfur yellow. The body of the mushroom is bright yellow and without scales.
• The plates inside the cap of the sulfur-plated false fungus are whitish in at a young age turn into bluish-gray. This is not typical for edible honey mushroom. The mushroom is not included in the group of poisonous species, but it should be boiled first.

The honey mushroom family includes the following mushrooms:

• gray
• pine honey mushrooms
• red honey mushrooms
• dark honey mushrooms
• honey mushrooms with pimples
• meadow
• Assumption
• Chinese
• winter
• autumn
• summer
• spring honey mushrooms
• thick-legged honey mushrooms
• mucous mushrooms
• honey mushroom

Honey fungus thick-legged
Honey fungus brick-red

The common name “honey mushrooms” refers to different families and genera of mushrooms, of which there are 34 species. Of these, only 22 species have been classified. Some of the representatives of these mushrooms “settle” in open areas, in the grass, confusing inexperienced mushroom pickers.

Since edible representatives of honey mushrooms are of interest, there is more information about them.

Let's look at the most common forms:

• A representative of this species takes root on damaged deciduous trees. Honey mushroom colonies grow on dead parts of wood, choosing willow or poplar for colonization. You can find these mushrooms on the banks of a stream, in the garden. The forest inhabitants also inhabit the city park.
• A good harvest can be harvested in the fall. Sometimes winter honey fungus adapts to germinate under the snow. The mushroom cap, 10 cm in diameter, is flat yellow or orange-brown. Young mushrooms have a flat cap, the edges are lighter in color and the middle is darker.

Autumn honey fungus mushroom

• Many types of trees are suitable for the germination of spores of this honey mushroom. there are about 200 of them. Sometimes the fungus even sprouts on potatoes. At night you can watch an interesting sight: due to the fact that a large “mushroom family” is often located on tree stumps, they are beautifully illuminated.
• Ideal conditions for the growth of the fungus in damp forests are birch and aspen stumps, dead elm and alder wood.
• Mushrooms can be collected from the last month of summer until the cold winter months, unless the air temperature drops below 10 degrees. The autumn honey fungus has an impressive size compared to its counterparts.
• The diameter of the cap is 17 cm, and the legs are 10 cm. The cap is greenish-olive or dark brown. Wavy edges can be observed in adult members of the fungal family. The surface of an immature mushroom is covered with scales. But there are very few of them. As the fungus grows, these scales disappear.

• Most often, summer honey fungus ends up in the basket. They begin to collect it from the end of March. You can bring home the harvest of these mushrooms until the last winter month.
• Summer honey mushroom grows in the forests. A dense family grows on rotten stumps. Trees with obvious damage are suitable for fungal growth.
• The dimensions of the summer honey mushroom are more modest: the cap is 6 cm in diameter, the leg is 7 cm.
• Adult mushrooms are distinguished by the presence of a wide tubercle on the surface of the cap. The caps of honey mushrooms growing in damp areas are brown and translucent. Mushrooms growing in dry places have honey-yellow, matte caps. There are grooves along the edges of the caps. Mushrooms can produce crops all year round.

Video: Summer honey fungus (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)

Specifics of preparing honey mushrooms

• Before cooking, mushrooms should be pre-boiled. Cooking, the duration of which can vary from 30 minutes to an hour, will eliminate the inherent toxicity of honey mushrooms.
• Cooking time is determined by the size of the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms.
• How larger mushrooms, the longer the heat treatment lasts.

How to properly pre-boil mushrooms:

• the mushrooms are placed on the fire and when the water boils, it needs to be drained
• then you need to cook in a new portion of previously boiled water

False honey mushrooms: description, photo

For good mushroom you can accept his double. These are the so-called false mushrooms.

You can mistake its double for a good mushroom

Signs of inedible honey fungus:

• the cap is bright in color (a good mushroom has a cap of a muted shade and has scales on it in young mushrooms)
• the plates of the bad mushroom are yellow, greenish, olive-black
• the double of the edible honey mushroom has only the remains of a ring on the stem

Video: inedible mushrooms - gray-yellow false honey fungus

• The brick-red false honey fungus is especially dangerous. It can be found on dead wood, on a rotten stump, and can also grow on flat terrain. The mushroom has a spherical cap, by which it is easy to “calculate” during mushroom harvesting. The cap has flakes hanging down the edges. The mushroom has no smell.
• All false honey mushrooms differ in the shades of the internal plates located under the cap. They can range from dark to sulfur-yellow or black-olive. Plates of good cream-colored mushrooms. False honey mushrooms grow in large groups.

How to identify and distinguish edible honey mushrooms from false ones?

• A bad honey mushroom, unlike a good mushroom, does not have a ring - a plate-shaped skirt, which is located under the cap. You can see the remains of a bedspread on the leg.
• If the mushroom is in doubt, it is better to throw it away immediately. Send mushrooms to the basket only if you are sure that they are edible, and if you have doubts or find one of the signs of a poisonous mushroom, then give up the idea of ​​adding it to your “mushroom catch”.

What other differences exist:

• a good mushroom has a pleasant mushroom aroma, while a false one exudes an unpleasant earthy odor or no odor at all
• the cap of a bad mushroom is brightly and loudly colored, the cap of a good mushroom is an unsightly light brown color
• the caps of good mushrooms have small scales, while poisonous mushrooms have a smooth cap (however, the scales disappear over time and the caps of edible mushrooms also become smooth)
• turning over the cap of an inedible mushroom, you can see that its plates are yellow if the mushroom is young, or greenish, olive-black if the mushroom is old (the plates of good mushrooms are cream-colored or yellowish-white)
• false honey mushrooms with a bitter aftertaste, but you should not start assessing the taste of the mushroom you doubt (other, more obvious signs are sufficient)

For an experienced mushroom picker, it will not be difficult to distinguish a good mushroom from a bad one. But if you are a beginner mushroom picker, then it is better to look for a skirt on the stem of the mushroom.

How can you tell the difference between edible mushrooms and toadstools?

• The white and greenish tint of the body of the mushroom is the main sign of toadstool. The appearance of a forest dweller may well correspond to the description of an edible mushroom. An experienced mushroom picker will immediately recognize such a disguise.
• Throw an onion into the container in which the mushrooms are cooked. If it quickly turns blue, then all forest prey is not suitable for food.
• A mushroom with an olive or pearlescent tint may be poisonous. It’s better not to take risks and immediately abandon the intention of replenishing your catch in the basket.

Can there be honey mushroom poisoning, and what are the symptoms?

• Poisonings occur mainly due to ignorance of the species of forest guests or due to improper preparation of edible mushrooms. The degree of intoxication depends on what mushrooms were eaten.
• Those who independently collect mushrooms and prepare them need to know how to identify poisoning and what medical care should be provided to the victim.

Mushrooms are divided into several groups:

• Edible: these mushrooms can be eaten without prior boiling (champignons)
  partially safe mushrooms require special processing before cooking to remove toxic substances: soaking, boiling, drying, additional boiling (if this step is ignored, poisoning cannot be avoided) (false honey mushrooms)
• Inedible mushrooms may be poisonous or have an unpleasant taste or odor (gall mushroom)

False mushrooms contain a white liquid in their pulp. It's called burning juice. In addition, the bad mushroom differs from the edible honey fungus by having a brighter orange cap and a thinner stump.

Video: How to recognize mushroom poisoning?

Signs of poisoning:

• intoxication appears within 1 hour or within 6 hours
• the malaise resembles food poisoning: a person begins to feel unwell, he develops nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may begin
• possible unpleasant or painful sensations in the abdomen
• if the poisoning is mild, then after a few days recovery occurs

Death does not occur from poisoning with false honey mushrooms, but it is possible serious problems due to dehydration, gastroenteritis.

Intoxication appears within 1 hour or within 6 hours

• If signs of poisoning are detected, you should not hesitate to call an ambulance. After all, it is necessary to avoid the penetration of harmful toxic substances into the blood.
• After the milky juice of the mushrooms enters the liver, the patient’s condition worsens.

Video: Mushroom poisoning! Symptoms and first aid!

First aid is as follows:

• it is necessary to avoid dehydration and help get rid of symptoms of poisoning
  you should induce vomiting after drinking large amounts of warm boiled water and pressing on the root of the tongue
• It is also necessary to rinse the stomach for those who have eaten the same mushrooms, but there are no signs of poisoning until the symptoms become noticeable
• Dehydration can be detected by a change in the color of the urine, which becomes darker, and by fewer or no trips to the toilet.
• the patient should be provided with plenty of fluids, preferably water
• if diarrhea or vomiting has already begun, then sports drinks (not energy drinks) will help
• the patient can eat vegetable and chicken broths, which will provide the necessary replenishment of water and nutrients
• Do not drink anti-diarrhea medications (diarrhea removes toxins from the body)
• it is better for the patient to reduce physical activity and sleep more so that the body recovers faster

Remember that first aid cannot replace treatment. If you have dehydration that you cannot cope with on your own, you should consult a doctor.

When do autumn, winter, spring and summer honey mushrooms appear and how long do they grow in the forest?

See the picture below for a calendar for collecting different mushrooms by month.

How to grow honey mushrooms in the country?

• Contrary to popular belief that honey mushrooms germinate better in the forest, growing them in the country is not a fantastic idea.
• From fertile soil brought to the site, humus obtained somewhere in the forest, mushroom spores fall into the ground. However, annual digging of the site disturbs the mycelium and it eventually dies without having time to germinate.

How to get a harvest of mushrooms in the country?

• select an area for mushrooms (moist, with shade)
• prepare mushroom mycelium (in our case, honey mushrooms) and “settle” the mushrooms on the future mushroom plantation.

First stage: site preparation:

• For honey mushrooms to germinate, a stump is needed, so we stock up on old, rotten birch wood (suitable trees: beech, hornbeam, alder, aspen, oak)
• choose wood (stump length - 20-30 cm) with chips and crevices to facilitate the process of rooting spores on the stump
• if there are no chips, then we make longitudinal notches using an ax
• immerse the selected hemp in water for 1-2 hours
• we dig in the stumps on the future mushroom plantation (entirely or only part of the stump, bury the wood vertically or lying on its side)

Preparing mycelium:

• We find overgrown mushrooms in the forest, which have large and wet caps
• immerse mushrooms in soft ground water
• leave for a couple of hours
• mix the mixture well
• stumps and logs buried in the area are treated with a liquid containing fungal mycelium
• We don’t throw away the caps, but place them on top of the treated areas of wood
• cover the caps with a piece of hemp (you can use moss from the forest or rotted sawdust for this)
• when it’s hot outside, we moisten the area so that it always remains damp
• We are waiting for the first harvest. Usually, mushrooms can be collected from a prepared plot only 2-3 years after planting.

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What do false mushrooms look like?

Inedible doubles of honey mushrooms prefer to settle, like their brothers, in large families on dead wood, stumps and rotten trees. All their types are very similar in appearance.

Mushroom stems are very thin and hollow inside. The surface of the caps is painted in bright colors, which depend on the place of growth, soil composition and time of year. The skin is smooth to the touch.

Features of false mushrooms (video)

Botanical description of the main types of false mushrooms

The group of false mushrooms includes several types of mushrooms. Since they grow in identical conditions to edible representatives, they are very easy to confuse. Some species are conditionally edible, others are inedible, and others are poisonous. Due to the danger of serious poisoning, an inexperienced mushroom picker is advised not to collect suspicious mushrooms.

Poppy honey fungus

The second name of the mushroom is honey fungus. Grows on fallen trees and pine stumps. In rare cases, it is found on rotting rhizomes. It begins to bear fruit in the last month of summer and continues until mid-autumn.

The hemispherical cap reaches a size of 7 cm. During the growth of the fruiting body, it changes its appearance to a convex-prostrate one, along the edge of which particles of the cover remain. If the fruit grows in a humid environment, the cap becomes light brown in color. In a dry place, its surface is light yellow. The middle of the cap is much brighter than the edges. The smell of the whitish pulp is reminiscent of dampness.

The plates located on the inner surface of the cap grow to the stem. In young individuals their color is pale yellow. Over time, the color changes, becoming similar to poppy seeds. The long leg (up to 10 cm) can be either straight or curved. The membranous ring quickly disappears. It has a red-red color at the base, and yellow near the cap.

Since poppy honey fungus belongs to the conditionally edible category, after processing it can be used for culinary purposes. It is not recommended to collect old mushrooms, which lose their taste with age.

Poppy honey fungus

Brick-red honey fungus

A poisonous mushroom that at a young age has a rounded-convex cap, which turns into a half-prostrate cap as it matures. The surface can be light reddish-brown tones, or red-brown and brick-red. In the central part the color is much richer. Along the edges there are white hanging fragments, which are the remains of the bedspread. Bitterish pulp of yellowish tones. The plates change color over time. In young specimens they are dirty yellow, and in mature specimens they are olive-brown. The shape of the leg can be flat or narrowed at the bottom. The color is yellowish, slightly brown at the bottom. The structure is dense.

It prefers to settle on deciduous trees in large families. Peak fruiting occurs at the end of summer - beginning of autumn.

Brick-red honey fungus

Sulfur-yellow honey fungus

The diameter of the cap of the poisonous honey mushroom is from 2 to 7 cm. In a young mushroom, its shape is similar to a bell. With age it becomes prostrate. The color can be yellow-brown or sulfur-yellow, which is reflected in its name. The central part of the cap is slightly darker than the edge.

The inside of the fruit is whitish or sulfur-yellow. The smell emanating from the pulp is unpleasant. The leg with a diameter of 0.5 cm grows up to 10 cm in length. The top is sulfur-yellow with a fibrous structure. Mushrooms grow in groups of about 50 fruits, fused at the base with stalks.

The difference between false mushrooms and autumn mushrooms (video)

How to distinguish false honey fungus from edible mushrooms

Despite the fact that the characteristics of edible honey mushrooms are in many ways similar to their false counterparts, having understood characteristic features and the differences between each type, you can learn to distinguish them. Main features of difference:

1. Appearance of the hat. In real mushrooms, its surface layer is covered with peculiar scales of a darker color than the cap itself. Mature mushrooms become smooth, losing their scales. But this is not scary, since such mushrooms are no longer of interest.
2. Ring or skirt. Edible young specimens have a white film under the cap, which, as the mushroom grows, turns into a ring on a stalk. False copies do not have it.
3. Skin color on the cap. False representatives are much brighter than edible mushrooms. Real honey mushrooms are usually a soft brown color. Inedible species with the addition of red and yellow-gray tones.
4. Smell. Edible mushrooms have a mushroom aroma. Dangerous twins, on the contrary, they emit an unpleasant earthy or moldy odor.
5. Records. True honey mushrooms are characterized by the presence of light plates (yellowish or beige). I don't have edible species they are brighter and darker (olive, greenish, yellow).

The fruits also taste different from real mushrooms. False species are unpleasant and bitter, but trying them is prohibited. Having carefully studied the signs that help distinguish edible mushroom from dangerous things, you can protect yourself from the serious consequences of poisoning with toxic substances.

Toxic elements of false mushrooms negatively affect the cardiovascular system and brain

Signs of poisoning by false honey mushrooms

In case of mistaken use of false honey mushrooms, intoxication of the body occurs, which manifests itself in the following symptoms:

• The first signs of poisoning appear within the first hour after eating, but there are cases when up to 12 hours pass.
• Toxic compounds that enter the body are very quickly absorbed into the blood. Then, with its current, they penetrate into all organs, causing a negative effect.
• There are complaints of discomfort in the stomach, slight dizziness, heartburn, stomach rumbling, and nausea.
• After 4-6 hours, symptoms begin to progress. Lethargy, apathy, tremors in the limbs and general weakness are added. As the nausea worsens, vomiting occurs. Stomach cramps spread to the entire abdominal area. The stool becomes frequent and watery, accompanied by sharp abdominal pain. Cold sweat is released. Cold sweat appears on the palms and soles. Blood sugar levels drop.

The most poisonous mushrooms (video)

Toxic elements negatively affect the cardiovascular system and brain. As a result, the heart rate slows down and decreases blood pressure to a critical level. Lack of oxygen leads to blue skin (cyanosis). The patient suffers from headache and dizziness.

Intense vomiting and diarrhea dehydrate the body, so fluid balance must be replenished, otherwise vital processes will be disrupted. In the absence of the necessary help, the patient begins to delusion and hallucinations appear. There is an alternation of excitement and inhibition.

Restoring health after poisoning depends on the speed of measures taken. Timely contact with a specialist and carrying out the necessary procedures shortens the recovery time and minimizes the consequences.

Those going in search of mushrooms should remember that they should only collect in the basket those mushrooms that there is no doubt that they are edible species. Otherwise, the find must be abandoned.

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What do summer mushrooms look like?

• The caps of summer mushrooms have a light brown tint, they are small in size, their diameter is from 3 to 7 cm.
• The caps are initially convex, have a tubercle in the center, and over time become flat, with a passing dark rim along the edge.
• The plates are adherent and sparse, their color is slightly lighter than the color of the cap itself.
• The legs of summer honey mushrooms have brown, a dark brown tint appears below the ring. They are thin and with scales, their thickness is up to 0.7 cm, and their length is up to 9 cm.
• Summer honey mushrooms are found from June to September; they grow on stumps of deciduous trees; they do not settle on coniferous trees during this period.
• It is advisable to collect these mushrooms in damp weather, at this time their symptoms are most pronounced, so as not to confuse honey mushrooms with inedible mushrooms.
• It should be noted that in the summer, honey mushrooms do not have universal features that 100% distinguish them from bad mushrooms, so it is better not to take risks and refuse to collect summer honey mushrooms.

What do autumn mushrooms look like?

• Mushrooms from this group are the most common. Their caps reach a diameter of 4 to 15 cm; initially they have a convex shape, then they become flat; in the middle they may have a tubercle, brownish small scales and specks.
• Cap colors: beige, light brown, gray-brown.
• The flesh of the caps is dense and white.
• The plates are initially covered with a thin white film, but over time it comes off and hangs on the stem like a ring.
• As the plates grow, they acquire dark spots and a light brown tint.
• The legs of honey mushrooms, up to 2 cm in diameter and 5-12 cm long, are thin and fibrous.
• The color is reminiscent of ombre; the legs of the cap have a light brown tint, turning to dark brown at the bottom.
• Autumn honey mushrooms are found in gardens and forest areas. They grow on tree stumps, most often deciduous and coniferous. During droughts, they can be located at a height of up to three meters on drying trees.

What do winter mushrooms look like?

These mushrooms are the latest, they are not afraid of frost, they produce fruiting bodies late autumn and in the first month of winter. These mushrooms are completely edible, but they have very hard stems, so only the caps are used for food.

• The caps of winter honey mushrooms are convex and small in diameter, no more than 10 cm. Their color: pale yellow, yellow-red, light brown-brown, cream.
• The plates match the color of the caps, light and rare. The legs are cylindrical and curved, fleecy and elastic, light yellow at the base, dark brown below.
• These mushrooms grow on trees and their habitats are weakened trees, dead wood and stumps.

What do meadow mushrooms look like?

The name of these mushrooms corresponds to their habitat. They are also called “non-rotting mushrooms”, this is due to the uniqueness of their aging, because meadow mushrooms do not rot over time, like other mushrooms, but dry out and become tiny in size.

The thin-fleshy and light brown caps of meadow mushrooms are small, about 6 cm. Initially, they have a cone-convex shape, then they become flat. The plates on them are rare, the color of the cap. The legs are dense and cylindrical, their color does not differ from the color of the cap, thin and tall, up to 10 cm long. There is no ring.

How to distinguish false honey mushrooms from edible ones

We have already told you about the features of real mushrooms. There are several types of mushrooms that are similar to edible honey mushrooms. They are easy to confuse, since both are similar to each other, grow in flocks, and also grow in the same places. We will tell you how to distinguish false from real mushrooms.

• No ring.
• The color of the caps of false honey mushrooms is slightly brighter than those of real ones. They are colored more brightly and loudly.
• The smell of false mushrooms is unpleasant and earthy, while the edible ones have a pleasant mushroom smell.
• Young false honey mushrooms do not have scales on their caps, but edible ones do.
• The plates of false mushrooms are yellow, while the old ones are olive-black or greenish.

Honey mushrooms are classified as conditionally edible, but when used correctly they have beneficial properties and contain zinc, copper, vitamins C and B1. Moreover, autumn honey mushrooms can have a laxative effect on the body, winter ones can resist viruses, and meadow mushrooms can improve the functioning of the thyroid gland.

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Summer honey fungus is a saprophytic fungus, that is, it lives exclusively on dead, rotting wood; unlike others, it does not settle on living trees.

The cap of the summer honey mushroom is light brown, thin and small - from 3 to 7 cm in diameter. At first it is convex and has a tubercle in the center, but over time it becomes almost flat, a rich dark rim runs along the edge, and is also sticky in wet weather.

The pulp is light brown, thin, and has a rather pleasant smell and taste. The bottom of the young hat is covered with a blanket.

The leg of summer honey mushrooms is hard, hollow, with scales, brown, and has a brown ring, below which a dark brown tint predominates. Its length reaches up to 9 cm, and thickness – up to 0.7 cm.

The plates are sparse and adherent, occasionally slightly descending, slightly lighter than the color of the cap. Spore powder is dark brown or brown. It happens that the caps of the lower summer mushrooms are covered with a brown layer of spore powder from mushrooms from the “upper tier”, giving the impression of rotting.

Summer honey mushrooms are most abundant from June to September on the stumps of deciduous trees (birch, aspen, linden and others). As a rule, they do not grow on coniferous trees. Under suitable conditions they form impressive colonies, which makes it possible to collect excessively large number.

First of all, the summer honey fungus can be confused with the poisonous galerina fringed, growing on stumps coniferous trees. Due to the strong variability of its external characteristics, this subspecies actually does not have universal features that help distinguish it from the fringed galerina. Therefore, in order to avoid accidents when collecting summer honey mushrooms in coniferous forests Best avoided on coniferous trees.

It is advisable to collect summer mushrooms in damp weather, when their symptoms are most pronounced, otherwise they can be easily confused with almost all mushrooms with similar conditions. These edible honey mushrooms belong to category 4 mushrooms.

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Honey mushrooms

Also look at the edible honey mushrooms in the photo very carefully, since in the field there will be nothing to compare the found specimens with:

Yellow-red varieties of edible honey mushrooms with a description

The mushroom is edible. Yellow-red varieties of edible honey mushrooms are decorated with velvety caps 5-15 cm in diameter, in young specimens they are hemispherical, later convex, fleshy, covered with red scales at a young age, completely red, later appear yellow places on the edge of the cap and where the light did not reach due to a fallen leaf or twig. The caps are dry, not slimy. The plates are often yellow or golden yellow. The leg is cylindrical, 6-15 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, yellow-red, velvety.

The description of edible honey mushrooms should be continued by saying that they grow in mixed and coniferous forests on stumps, trunks and roots of coniferous trees, and on the roots of dry pine trees.

Fruits from July to October.

Poisonous double of honey mushroom yellow-red - sulfur-yellow row (Tricholoba sulphureum) easily distinguished by the color of the fruiting body and the unpleasant acetylene smell of the pulp.

The mushroom is a little bitter. Some experts advise pre-boiling it before cooking.

Seasonal types of honey mushrooms: photos and descriptions

Look at the seasonal types of honey mushrooms in the photo, which shows summer, autumn, and winter honey mushrooms:

These types of honey mushrooms are very common, but only at certain times of the year. This is where their names come from.

Seasonal honey mushrooms, their types and descriptions are presented further on the page, you can see them in the photo:

Winter honey fungus (Flammulina velutipes)

The mushroom is edible. Caps 2-8 cm, young ones - bell-shaped or convex, then prostrate, sticky, yellow-ocher or rusty-brown, with frequent white-ocher or white plates below. The legs are thin, velvety, without a ring, at first the color of the cap, not very hard, then they become dark brown or almost black and hard. The main distinguishing feature of the winter honey fungus is its hard, velvety leg. The intergrowths of its fruiting bodies look like fiery spots against the background of snow. The mushroom has adapted to bear fruit during thaws in winter. You can observe under a microscope how, when the temperature rises above zero, the cells of its mycelium that burst during freezing grow together.

It grows on dead and living tree trunks, as well as on the stumps of willow, poplar, birch and linden. Sometimes it can be found on coniferous trees.

Fruits from September to December. Sometimes it grows in spring.

It has no poisonous counterparts.

Soups are made from winter honey fungus, hot salted, and pickled in jars.

Summer honey fungus (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)

The mushroom is edible. The caps are 3-8 cm, initially hemispherical, closed, then almost open, smooth from yellow to yellow-brown with a darker edge. The plates are pale clay-yellow, turning rusty-brown with age; in young mushrooms they are covered with a white or yellow film. The leg is hard, dense yellow-brown, 3-8 cm long, 6-12 mm thick with a whitish ring, covered below the ring with loose scales. The spore powder is rusty brown.

It grows on dead tree trunks, on stumps, and sometimes on soil rich in woody debris. The sprouts contain a large number of mushrooms.

The summer honey fungus appears in June, sometimes even in May, and bears fruit until September.

The summer honey fungus resembles a poisonous mushroom - Galerina marginata. Its concretions and mushrooms are much smaller, the ring is not obvious, but barely noticeable, the scales on the stalk are white and pressed.

Only the caps are used in preparations and dishes; the legs of old honey mushrooms are thrown away or left in the forest when collected.

Autumn honey fungus (Armillaria mellea)

The mushroom is edible. Beautiful, rather fleshy caps 3-10 cm, initially hemispherical, then convex, matte due to small scales, yellow-cream, ocher-brown. At first the plates are yellowish-white, hidden under a blanket. Then the plates become ocher or brown. The legs are 5-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, with the remains of a blanket in the form of a white ring under the cap. The flesh in the cap is whitish with a pleasant smell.

In a birch forest, the autumn honey fungus covers a vast territory. The mycelium develops in stumps and weakened trees, uniting with the help of strands up to 3 mm in diameter into a single organism.

They grow in large clusters from August to November.

A large harvest occurs once every three years.

Autumn honey fungus can be confused with the inedible red brick honey fungus (Hypholoma sublateritium), which is distinguished by later fruiting on the same stumps and bitterish pulp.

Autumn honey fungus is edible after heat treatment or drying. Poisonous when cold salted.

Meadow honey mushrooms and their edible species (with photos and descriptions)

Meadow honey mushrooms are edible species used in cooking in boiled and canned form.

Look at these types of honey mushrooms in the photo and in the description, which will allow you to distinguish meadow honey fungus from inedible mushrooms:

The caps are 3-5 cm, at first hemispherical, convex, then open with a blunt hump, smooth, light ocher, sometimes light flesh-red. The plates are sparse, adherent in young mushrooms, later free, ocher in wet weather, creamy-whitish in dry weather. The mushroom cap does not age; it droops in dry weather; when it rains, it regains its elasticity and rises on its stem. This causes the edge of the cap to crumble in old mushrooms, and the tips of the plates are visible from above. The leg is 3-10 cm high, thin-velvety light ocher, the lower part is ocher. The pulp is whitish and sweetish with a faint sweetish aftertaste of cloves. The smell is pleasant. Spore powder is white.

It grows in the grass in clearings in the forest, on the lawn. Forms “witch circles”.

Honey fungus bears fruit from June to October. In dry weather, the mushroom is not visible in the grass.

The honey fungus has no poisonous counterparts.

Other types of edible honey mushrooms: what they look like, photos

We invite you to look at other types of edible honey mushrooms in the photo, which illustrate the appearance of the bulbous and dark honey mushrooms:

It is necessary to know what edible honey mushrooms look like, since most of the presented species have false poisonous counterparts.

Bulbous honey fungus (Armillaria bulbosa)

The mushroom is edible. Beautiful, rather fleshy caps 3-10 cm. At first hemispherical, then convex, matte due to small scales, yellow-brown, sometimes with a fleshy-red tint. At first the plates are yellowish-white, hidden under a blanket. Then the plates become ocher or brown. The cap-colored legs are 5-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, with remnants of a cover in the form of a white ring under the cap, with a bulbous thickening at the bottom. The flesh in the cap is whitish with a pleasant smell.

It grows mainly in birch forests, sometimes in orchards and coniferous forests. It is found on old stumps, on the roots of stumps and trees so that it seems to grow on the ground.

Found from August to October in clumps or single mushrooms.

The bulbous honey fungus can be confused with the inedible red brick honey fungus (Hypholoma sublateritium), which is distinguished by later fruiting on the same stumps and bitterish pulp.

The bulbous honey fungus is edible after heat treatment or drying.

Poisonous when cold salted!

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Honey mushrooms, false and edible are very similar, so they can confuse novice lovers of “silent hunting”. Need to know: What is the difference between false honey mushrooms and edible ones? About what do edible and false honey mushrooms look like? Let's talk in our article.

False mushrooms are divided into 3 groups:

• poisonous;
• conditionally edible;
• inedible.

Everyone needs to remember an important rule: “if you’re not sure, don’t take it!” It is better to take care of yourself and your loved ones and not take those mushrooms that you have doubts about. It is worth collecting only real honey mushrooms.

How to distinguish false honey mushrooms from edibles

There are several rules that will help you distinguish a real honey mushroom.

The most important difference is the “skirt,” a filmy ring that protects young honey mushrooms. False ones do not have such a ring.

Smell

The cap of a real honey mushroom has a pleasant mushroom aroma, while the cap of an inedible mushroom has an unpleasant earthy aroma. Therefore, first of all, you need to smell the hat.

Leg

Let's pay attention to the leg of a real honey mushroom once again. It should have a membranous “skirt” that protects the fruiting body, difference from the “bald” legs of inedible honey mushrooms.

Records

The plates of edible specimens under the cap are white, with a slight yellow tint, sometimes cream. U false mushrooms they can be olive and black.

hat

Young and not overripe honey mushrooms have a scaly cap structure. The false tip, on the contrary, will be smooth.

Color

Edible species have light brown caps, like those on photo, and false ones are brighter: yellowish, red, brick, etc.

Taste

Of course, you shouldn’t go to this test option, you could get poisoned, because there are other more simple ways. False mushrooms will have a bitter taste, which edible mushrooms do not have.

It's best to learn well What is the difference between false honey mushrooms and edible ones? before going into the forest. The main thing is not to take risks and not to take what is unfamiliar. And if the collection is being carried out for the first time, then it is better to consult with someone more experienced.

How to cook edible mushrooms

Honey mushrooms are very tasty, but you need to know how to cook them correctly. The lower part of the mushroom stem is very tough, so most often only the cap is eaten.

Honey mushrooms can be:

• salt;
• marinate;
• fry;
• add to soup (mushroom mushroom).

Important! Fresh honey mushrooms must be processed immediately after collection, because they quickly darken.

• You can freeze honey mushrooms; to do this, they must be cleared of debris, sorted out from damaged, wormy and rotten ones, and sent to the freezer. It is better to use quick deep freezing. They can be stored for 12 months.
• Honey mushrooms are possible. This is done in the sun or in a special dryer. Sometimes dried in the oven over low heat.

Important! In these two cases of preparation, the mushrooms are not washed, but cleaned, carefully removing dirt.

Important! The water in which honey mushrooms were boiled cannot be used for cooking.

In our article you learned: how to distinguishfalse honey mushrooms from edible ones, how they differ and what they look like, as well as features of mushroom consumption. We think that this useful information will be useful to you during the “silent hunting” season.

Watch the video! Difference between false mushrooms and autumn mushrooms. How to distinguish?

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

The mushrooms “Honey agaric” got 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. In 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 in length from 2 to 18 cm, in width up to 2.5 cm. 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 commonly conifers (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 permafrost areas. 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. When young, 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, in deciduous and mixed forests of northern temperate climates.

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 buffy-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.
Occurs in groups, from June to November, not in large 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 in color, 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, yellowish or bright yellow in color. 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.

Useful properties: 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: It grows in large groups, mainly on twigs and rotting bark of 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 stems, 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 fascicularis, 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 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 unpleasant smell. 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 blades are adherent, frequent, narrow, and when ripe 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 below, the upper part is 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.

Honey mushrooms are extremely popular among mushroom pickers, because they have a high taste when fried, salted or pickled. In addition, collecting them is beneficial from a practical point of view: if you find a large family of these mushrooms, you can easily fill an entire basket. In this case, there is a risk of confusing edible species with poisonous ones.

To avoid accidentally adding false ones to your cart inedible honey mushrooms, you need to know the main signs by which they can be distinguished from edible ones. This article is dedicated to this topic.

Honey mushrooms - false and edible

At first glance, false and edible honey mushrooms are extremely similar. They have approximately the same color of the cap, a similar arrangement of plates on its inner side, and edible and poisonous species grow in the same places.

Note: The mushroom got its name due to the fact that its mycelium develops on old stumps or fallen tree trunks, and this feature is relevant for both poisonous and edible representatives.

The stems of these mushrooms are thin and hollow inside. The surface of the cap is in most cases smooth, but in edible species it can often be covered with scales. The color of the cap and pulp directly depends on the type of tree on which the mushrooms grow. For example, on coniferous trees they take on a brick-red hue, on linden or aspen they become bright yellow, and on oak they can be slightly reddish. In addition, the shade of the pulp may depend on the time of year and the type of mushroom itself.

Figure 1. This is what poisonous twins look like

Experienced mushroom pickers can distinguish a false mushroom from an edible one the first time, while beginners may have some difficulty with this. In order for you to gain the necessary experience in identifying real and false specimens, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with distinctive features edible species and their poisonous counterparts. You can see photos of false specimens in Figure 1.

Distinctive features of edible mushrooms

Despite the fact that at first glance false honey mushrooms look almost the same as edible ones, they have some very characteristic differences. Knowing them, you will never put a poisonous mushroom in the basket.

Note: Experienced lovers of “silent hunting” strongly advise collecting only famous mushrooms. If you have even the slightest doubt about the edibility of a particular specimen, it is better to avoid it, as poisonous lookalikes can cause symptoms of severe poisoning.

To make sure that the honey mushroom is edible, you need to carefully examine it:

1. Edible species are not brightly colored, unlike false ones, which are immediately noticeable due to their rich brick red, honey brown or orange color.
2. All real honey mushrooms have a special skirt on a leg, which is absent in all false species, without exception. In fact, this skirt represents a ring on the leg, and it is present in both young and old specimens. This feature is the main one when identifying mushrooms.
3. If you have any doubts, be sure to look under the hat. If the mushroom is edible, its plates will have a pleasant cream, white or slightly yellowish color, while in poisonous species they will be dirty yellow, greenish or brown, depending on age.

Figure 2. Distinctive features edible mushrooms

One more characteristic feature edible species - the presence of scales on the surface of the cap (Figure 2). This feature is absent in false species. However, it should also be remembered that as the mushroom ages, these scales disappear, so it is better to collect young specimens that meet all the above characteristics. The only exception The rules include winter honey fungus, which occurs only in the cold season and can grow even under a layer of snow. However, this type of edible mushroom grows at a time when other species are not found, so you can safely eat them.

What false honey mushrooms look like: photo and description

The group of false mushrooms includes several species that are slightly different from each other in appearance, but in general are very similar to edible species. Some of them are conditionally edible, but are suitable for consumption only after certain processing. Therefore, if you cannot say for sure whether a mushroom is edible or not, it is better not to put it in the basket (Figure 3).

Among the most common types of poisonous mushrooms, it is worth highlighting:

1. Poppy: also called seroplate. Prefers to settle on fallen trunks and stumps of coniferous trees. You can find such a mushroom in the forest from late summer to mid-autumn. The hat has the shape of a hemisphere and can reach 7 cm in diameter. As they grow older, the cap straightens. If the mushroom grows on a moist substrate, its flesh will be light brown, and on dry soil it will turn light yellow. If you break the mushroom and smell it, you will clearly smell the dampness. On the inside of the cap there are plates that grow tightly to the stem. In young specimens these plates are pale yellow, but as they mature they become similar to poppy seeds. This type belongs to the conditionally edible species, but it is not recommended for beginners to collect them, since there is high risk confuse them with poisonous ones.
2. Brick red: a poisonous mushroom that can easily be confused with an edible one. Young specimens have neat, rounded caps that become half-spread as they mature. The color of the pulp can range from red-brown to red-brown or brick-colored. The flesh is yellow, as are the plates located under the cap: in young mushrooms they are dirty yellow, but as they age they become olive or brown. Prefers to grow on woody remains of deciduous species. Found in forests from late summer to early autumn.
3. Sulfur yellow: another poisonous species that should not be put in the basket. The diameter of the cap, depending on age, can range from 2 to 7 cm. In young specimens, its shape is similar to a bell, and as it grows, it straightens and becomes prostrate. The name of the mushroom exactly corresponds to its appearance: the color of the cap and pulp can vary from yellow-brown to sulfur-yellow, and the color in the center of the cap is much darker than at its edges. Mushrooms also grow in groups on both deciduous and coniferous trees.

Figure 3. The main types of poisonous lookalikes: 1 - poppy, 2 - brick red, 3 - sulfur yellow

All poisonous species have several features: they lack a leathery ring on the stem, and the flesh has a pronounced unpleasant smell of dampness.

How to distinguish false honey mushrooms from edible ones

When going into the forest, you must definitely study the theoretical information about edible honey mushrooms and their poisonous counterparts, and carefully examine photos of these species, so as not to accidentally confuse a real honey mushroom with a false one. In fact, recognizing an edible mushroom is not so difficult if you know its main signs (Figure 4).

You can distinguish an edible mushroom from a poisonous one by the following signs:

1. Hat: in real mushrooms it is covered with small scales, which are slightly darker than the main color of the skin. Only old specimens lose this feature, but they should not be collected in any case, because such mushrooms lose their taste and can accumulate radionuclides and other harmful substances. The only edible honey mushroom that has no scales on its cap is the winter mushroom, but it is found only in the cold season, when other mushrooms do not grow and it is impossible to confuse it with poisonous species.
2. Leathery skirt (ring): All edible species, except very old specimens, have a white film on the stem, directly under the cap, which eventually turns into a ring. This is the main sign that experienced mushroom pickers use, because false species do not have this skirt.
3. Cap skin color: Poisonous species are much brighter than edible ones and immediately catch the eye. Therefore, you should not immediately collect bright mushrooms; it is better to carefully examine them to make sure they are edible. Remember that real mushrooms are muted brown in color, while poisonous species have reddish and yellow-gray skin colors.
4. Smell: If you still doubt the edibility of a mushroom, break it open and smell the pulp. Real mushrooms have a rich mushroom aroma, while their poisonous counterparts smell unpleasant - damp, mold or rotten earth.
5. Records: under the cap of all honey mushrooms, both false and edible, there are plates. However, in true species they are light (beige or slightly yellowish), while in poisonous ones they are much brighter, darker and can be colored green, yellow or olive tones.

Figure 4. The main differences between edible and poisonous species: by the skirt (left) and by the color of the plates (right: A - edible, B and C - poisonous)

There are significant differences in the taste of false and real species. Poisonous ones are very bitter and unpleasant in taste, but distinguishing mushrooms this way is strongly not recommended due to the risk of severe food poisoning. It is better to use a safe method of identification by external signs, but if you have already prepared honey mushrooms and feel bitterness, immediately throw away the dish and do not eat it.

If you do accidentally eat false honey mushrooms, you should pay attention to the main signs of poisoning with them. The first symptoms begin to appear within an hour after consumption, but in some cases they may appear later, after 12 hours. IN poisonous mushrooms contains toxins that gradually penetrate into the blood and cause stomach discomfort, dizziness, nausea, heartburn and severe stomach rumbling. As the toxins spread, the symptoms intensify: after 4-6 hours, apathy, general weakness and trembling in the limbs appear. To prevent other consequences, such as diarrhea, vomiting and severe sweating, you should immediately consult a doctor for help.

False meadow honey fungus: difference from edible

In the understanding of most, all mushrooms, including honey mushrooms, grow in the forest. However, there are species that prefer open fields. These include the meadow honey fungus, which prefers well-lit clearings, pastures or meadows.

Note: As a rule, meadow species grow in large families, forming clear rows, but in some cases they grow in rings. People call this phenomenon the “witch’s circle.”

These mushrooms prefer raw, but warm weather, and begin to appear above the ground surface in spring and early summer. If spring turns out to be rainy, it makes sense to take a walk through the meadows in early June. It is possible that you will be able to collect a rich harvest of mushrooms. However, it should be remembered that the meadow honey fungus has a poisonous counterpart that should not be eaten (Figure 5).

In order not to confuse an edible specimen with a false one, you need to learn to recognize them:

1. Like other types of honey mushrooms, the edible meadowsweet has a leathery ring on the stem under the cap. The height of the leg is no more than 6 cm, while in poisonous counterparts it can reach 10 or more centimeters in height.
2. The plates under the cap of a true meadowsweet have a pleasant cream or slightly yellowish tint, while those of an inedible one are bright yellow, and as they age they become green and even black.
3. The cap of the edible meadow grass is not bright: it is predominantly dull brown and covered with scales of a darker shade. The false mushroom has a bright skin on the cap, with a pronounced reddish tint, and the scales are completely absent.

Figure 5. Meadow honey mushrooms (1 and 2) and their poisonous counterparts (3)

In addition, if you have already picked a mushroom, you can determine its edibility by its smell. True meadow mushrooms have a very strong and rich mushroom aroma, while their poisonous counterparts smell unpleasant (of mold or rotten soil). The last sign by which you can distinguish an edible meadowsweet from a false one is contact with water. If you soak real mushrooms, their flesh will not change color and will remain a pleasant creamy color, whereas in poisonous species it may turn black or blue.

Some people advise lightly biting or licking the flesh of the honey mushroom. If it is bitter, it means the mushroom is inedible. This is partly true, but using this method to identify mushrooms is not recommended, since even a small amount of toxins can cause severe poisoning and liver problems. The author of the video gives more safe ways, which will help distinguish false mushrooms from edible ones.