False chanterelle vs golden chanterelle: how to tell them apart

Quick answer

The false chanterelle has thin, crowded true gills that fork repeatedly and are usually deeper orange than the cap, and its soft flesh does not tear into strings; the golden chanterelle has blunt, shallow ridges with cross-veins, the same color as the cap or paler, and firm white flesh that pulls apart like string cheese. The false chanterelle grows on rotting conifer wood, duff or wood chips, the golden chanterelle from soil.

Toxicity

How toxic is the false chanterelle?

The false chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca) is not recorded as a dangerous poison. The University of British Columbia's Mushrooms Up! guide records that information on its edibility conflicts, that some field guides report adverse reactions, and that only one case of gastrointestinal upset appeared in the poisoning records summarized by the North American Mycological Association.

Side by side

The tell for each

Orange false chanterelles with small caps on thin stems growing from green moss
Lookalike
False ChanterelleHygrophoropsis aurantiaca

The tellOrange cap with thin, crowded, repeatedly forked true gills, on rotting conifer wood or duff.

Golden chanterelles with wavy caps growing in a line across a mossy forest floor
Edible
Golden ChanterelleCantharellus cibarius

The tellEgg-yolk yellow to orange vase with blunt, forked ridges instead of true gills.

How they differ

Differences between the false chanterelle and the golden chanterelle
FeatureFalse ChanterelleGolden Chanterelle
UndersideFalse ChanterelleThin, crowded true gills that fork repeatedly.Golden ChanterelleBlunt, shallow, forked ridges with cross-veins.
Underside colorFalse ChanterelleBright orange, usually deeper than the cap.Golden ChanterelleThe same color as the cap or paler.
FleshFalse ChanterelleThin, soft, pale orange to whitish; not stringy.Golden ChanterelleFirm, white to pale yellow, tearing into strings.
What it grows onFalse ChanterelleRotting conifer wood, needle duff, wood chips and mulch.Golden ChanterelleSoil, often in moss; never on wood.
CapFalse ChanterelleOrange to orange-brown, often darker at the center, dry and finely velvety.Golden ChanterelleEgg-yolk yellow to golden orange, smooth to slightly felty.
SmellFalse ChanterelleNot distinctive.Golden ChanterelleFruity, often compared to apricots.

FAQ

Common questions

How do you tell a false chanterelle from a real one?

A false chanterelle has thin, true gills that fork repeatedly and soft flesh. A real chanterelle has blunt ridges and firm white flesh that tears into strings. MushroomExpert.com describes the false chanterelle as a soft, flimsy mushroom compared with the sturdy chanterelles.

Is the false chanterelle poisonous?

Reports conflict, and it is not among the dangerous species. Some field guides record adverse reactions, but North American poisoning records summarized by NAMA show only one case of gastrointestinal upset.

Can you tell a false chanterelle from a chanterelle in a photo?

Often, if the underside is sharp in the picture: crowded, knife-thin gills versus blunt, low ridges. A photo of the top alone cannot show the difference.

Sources

Where these facts come from

  1. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

    MushroomExpert.com

  3. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, false chanterelle (Mushrooms Up!)

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia

  4. Chanterelles

    Missouri Department of Conservation

Keep checking

Read both pages in full

This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.

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