If anyone has seen a nest of wasps, bees or hornets in their home, attic or garage, they know how it is built.

It consists of polygonal chambers in which young insects hatch. Therefore, the sight of a mushroom with a similar structure in the forest raises concerns whether it is not a wasp or hornet's nest, because it really resembles it.

This rare, thermophilic arboreal mushroom is found in the evergreen forests of the Mediterranean and southern Europe. It can only be found on deciduous trees, mainly oak.

The mushroom cap can reach about 10-15 cm in diameter. It has a semi-circular, fan-shaped shape, like most polyporous mushrooms. The upper part of the cap is brown, it is undulating, full of furrows and signs of growth.

Hymenophore like a honeycomb

What is interesting about this mushroom is its underside. The hymenophore is made of hexagonal chambers resembling a "honeycomb" shape. Young fruiting bodies have a white, grayish underpart, while they become brown with age.

The flesh of the mushroom is quite soft, but with age it becomes woody and corky. It has a delicate mushroom smell and taste, but it is an inedible mushroom.

Good luck 😉