Chicken of the woods vs jack-o'-lantern
- Toxic: Jack-o'-Lantern
Look under the orange: chicken of the woods has yellow pores and no stems. A jack-o'-lantern has sharp orange gills on separate stems.
Golden chanterelle vs jack-o'-lantern: how to tell them apart
Quick answer
A golden chanterelle has blunt, shallow, forked ridges with cross-veins instead of true gills, and white flesh that pulls apart in strings; a jack-o'-lantern has sharp, crowded true gills and orange flesh right through the stem. They also grow differently: chanterelles come up singly or scattered from soil, jack-o'-lanterns in tight clusters from wood or buried roots.
Toxic lookalike
The jack-o'-lantern is toxic.
Unlike the golden chanterelle, the jack-o'-lantern (Omphalotus illudens) is poisonous. The Bay Area Mycological Society names illudins M and S as the main toxins in Omphalotus and describes a rapid onset of serious gastrointestinal symptoms, sometimes lasting several days. Tom Volk records severe cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, and the Missouri Department of Conservation notes that it is not life-threatening to healthy adults.
If someone has eaten a wild mushroom and feels unwell, or may have eaten one of these, call poison control now: 1-800-222-1222 in the US. Do not wait for symptoms.
Side by side
The tell for each
Edible
The tellEgg-yolk yellow to orange vase with blunt, forked ridges instead of true gills.
Toxic lookalike
The tellBright orange clusters on wood with sharp true gills and orange flesh.
How they differ
| Feature | Golden Chanterelle | Jack-o'-Lantern |
|---|---|---|
| Underside | Golden ChanterelleBlunt, shallow, forked ridges with cross-veins. | Jack-o'-LanternSharp, crowded true gills. |
| Flesh | Golden ChanterelleWhite to pale yellow, firm, tearing into strings. | Jack-o'-LanternOrange to pale orange throughout, including the stem. |
| Growth | Golden ChanterelleSingle or scattered. | Jack-o'-LanternTight clusters with stems fused at the base. |
| What it grows on | Golden ChanterelleSoil, often in moss; never on wood. | Jack-o'-LanternStumps, tree bases and buried roots, so clusters can seem to grow from soil. |
| Cap | Golden ChanterelleFlat to vase-shaped with a wavy, lobed edge. | Jack-o'-LanternConvex to funnel-shaped, often with a small central knob. |
| Smell | Golden ChanterelleFruity, often compared to apricots. | Jack-o'-LanternNot distinctive. |
FAQ
Common questions
How do you tell a chanterelle from a jack-o'-lantern?
Chanterelles have blunt, forked ridges, white flesh and grow from soil. Jack-o'-lanterns have sharp true gills, orange flesh and grow in clusters from wood.
Can a jack-o'-lantern grow from the ground?
It can look that way. Jack-o'-lanterns often grow from buried roots, so a cluster in a lawn or at the foot of a tree may be attached to wood below the surface.
Can you tell a chanterelle from a jack-o'-lantern in a photo?
Often, if the underside is shown: blunt ridges versus sharp gills. From the top alone they can look alike, and color does not help, since both are orange.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Cantharellus "cibarius" (golden chanterelles)
MushroomExpert.com
- Omphalotus illudens
MushroomExpert.com
- Chanterelles
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Toxic Mushrooms
Bay Area Mycological Society
Keep checking
Read both pages in full
- More on the golden chanterelle
- More on the jack-o'-lantern
- Not sure it is either? Narrow it down with the identification key
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.
More comparisons
Honey mushroom vs jack-o'-lantern
- Toxic: Jack-o'-Lantern
Honey mushrooms have a ring, white gills and white flesh. Jack-o'-lanterns have no ring, sharp orange gills and orange flesh.
Cinnabar chanterelle vs jack-o'-lantern
- Toxic: Jack-o'-Lantern
The cinnabar chanterelle is small, red and grows alone on soil with forked false gills. Jack-o'-lanterns are large, orange and clustered on wood.
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