John: Found on a tree while hiking in Forest Park
I checked out a few online web sites to see if it looked like a honey mushroom. It seems that most are calling our western version by a different species name. Armillaria nabsnona. It seemed to fit. Check out the gills going down the stipe and the shape of the ring. It seemed to have small hairs on top. Spore print was white. Whaddya think?
Dick: Your mushroom is definitely an Armillaria but whether it is A. nabsnoma is questionable. According to the description in MatchMaker A. nabsnoma (north american biologican species nine) is never cespitose (yours appears to be) and may have hairs but not scales on the cap when young, but not when mature. One character you would want to consider is what kind of a tree you found the mushrooms growing on.
Katie: I have tons of mushrooms that look exactly like these pics. These mushrooms have those dots on the cap and I did not think A. nabsoma had that. Mine are all growing with Doug Fir.
John: They were definitely clustered, and many branched out of the same stem bottom. It seems that is what cespitose means. I tried to look it up. Thanks to you guys, I am gradually acquiring a stronger sense of identification characteristics. I don't remember the kind of tree but I'll definitely pay more attention next time. The dark part on the center top is certainly distinctive. I know some people have had mild stomach upset from some Armillarias. Are other armillarias known to be more poisonous than the nabsnona or regular honey mushroom?
Mike: I can't give a comprehensive review of edibility, but I can give a short case study. Near us, annually, is a growth of A. sinapina (another of the honeys -- there are pictures from last year on WTM). I have eaten them many times without incident. This year, my wife has had indigestion after eating them. Too bad; they made a great pizza bianca with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and feta.
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