Ringless Honey Mushroom

Desarmillaria caespitosa

While the mushrooms above ground last only a couple of weeks, the underground mycelium can live for centuries and span several acres.

Scientific name: Desarmillaria caespitosa
Taxonomy: Fungi › Basidiomycota › Agaricomycetes › Agaricales › Physalacriaceae › Desarmillaria
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Population trend: stable
Biome: forest
Habitat: Deciduous forests, growing in dense clusters on hardwood stumps, logs, or buried roots.
Diet: Saprotrophic (decomposing dead wood) and parasitic (attacking living trees).
Range: North America, Europe, Asia
Size: Caps 2 to 10 cm wide; stems 5 to 15 cm long; grows in massive clusters.
Lifespan: Fruiting bodies live 1-2 weeks; underground mycelial network can live for over 100 years.
Active: diurnal
Threats: Habitat loss, clear-cutting of hardwood forests, and extreme drought.
Safe to approach?: Harmless to touch, but do not consume unless identified by an expert, as it has toxic lookalikes like the Jack-o'-Lantern mushroom. Must be thoroughly cooked if consumed, as raw specimens cause severe stomach upset. If accidental poisoning is suspected, seek immediate medical attention.

Photo: no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist