Armillaria solidipes; Honey Mushroom
This handsome fungus is perhaps the most detested of all fungi by forest managers. It is parasite and decomposer of various hardwood and conifer trees. It attacks the root system, and is especially prone to kill young trees. Its sends black rhizomorphs into the roots and then attacks the sapwood, sending white mycelium under the bark for great distances. It is managed by removing stumps of dead trees before replanting and by replanting less susceptible species where a center of fungal activity has been found. Interestingly this fungus lays claim to being the largest organism on earth. In the Malheur National Forest of eastern Oregon one fungal organism occupies 3.7 square miles of forest terrain, as genetically determined. Its total weight would be about 35,000 tons. The fruit bodies are edible but of mediocre quality. They are light brown to yellow-brown in color, overlain with brownish scales and reaching about 10cm width. The gills are white as is the spore print, and range from close to subdistant and broadly attached to the stipe. The stipes are white and up to 10-12cm, with a prominent superior ring. It is typically a fall species. Although the first name given to this fungus was Armillaria solidipes per Charles Horton Peck, this was only recently discovered, and the name Armillaria ostoyae has persisted since 1970 as the most widely used name.