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Dark Honey Fungus
Armillaria ostoyae is a honey mushroom that acts as both a parasite and a decomposer of wood, causing Armillaria root rot, chiefly in conifers. Its mycelium spreads through black rhizomorphs ('shoestrings') and can glow faintly (foxfire). A single genetic individual in Oregon's Malheur National Forest is often cited as the largest known organism.
Edible only when thoroughly cooked; honey mushrooms are mildly poisonous raw, and some people react even to cooked ones. Avoid alcohol around a meal of them. Deadly Galerina species (amatoxins) can grow on the same wood; they have a brown spore print, while Armillaria has a white one. Take a spore print of every specimen.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
