Toxic lookalike
Jack-o'-Lantern
Omphalotus illudens
Jack-o'-lanterns grow in tight clusters from wood or buried roots and have sharp, crowded true gills. Their flesh is orange throughout, while a chanterelle is white inside.
Golden Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
Edible
Also called chanterelle, girolle.
The golden chanterelle is a yellow to orange, vase-shaped mushroom with blunt false gills that run down the stem. It grows on the ground in summer and fall woods. North American goldens are now split into several species, and the toxic jack-o'-lantern is the main lookalike.
The tell
Egg-yolk yellow to orange vase with blunt, forked ridges instead of true gills.
Field marks
What to look at
Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.
- Cap
- Flat to vase-shaped with a wavy, often lobed edge, egg-yolk yellow to golden orange. Surface smooth to slightly felty, not slimy.
- Underside
- Blunt, shallow, forked ridges, often with cross-veins between them. They run down the stem and are the same color as the cap or paler.
- Stem
- Same color as the cap or paler, solid, tapering toward the base and merging into the cap without a clear line. No ring and no cup.
- Flesh
- White to pale yellow inside, firm, and tears into strings like string cheese. Smell is fruity, often compared to apricots.
- Spore print
- White to pale yellow or pinkish buff.
- Size
- Cap 1 to 5 inches wide (2.5 to 13 cm); stem 1 to 3 inches tall (2.5 to 8 cm).
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- Hardwood and mixed forests, often under oaks and beech in the East, and conifer and oak forests in the West. Frequently in moss, along trails and on mossy banks.
- Grows on
- Soil. It forms partnerships with tree roots and does not grow on wood.
- Season
- Summer to early fall in the East, usually June to September after rain; fall into winter on the West Coast.
- Range
- Across North America, where DNA work has split golden chanterelles into several species, including Cantharellus flavus in the East and C. formosus and C. californicus in the West.
Lookalikes
What the golden chanterelle gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
LookalikeFalse Chanterelle
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
Thin, crowded true gills that fork repeatedly and are deeper orange than the cap. It grows on rotting conifer wood or duff and its soft flesh does not tear into strings.
Turbinellus floccosus
Photo coming
Toxic lookalikeScaly Chanterelle
Turbinellus floccosus
A tall orange trumpet with a deep hollow center and a scaly top. Its wrinkled underside is cream to buff, much paler than the cap.
More side-by-side comparisons
Edibility
What the field guides say
Edible
Field guides list the golden chanterelle as a choice edible, and it is one of the most widely collected wild mushrooms in North America. Its main toxic lookalike, the jack-o'-lantern, contains illudins, which cause severe vomiting and diarrhea within hours of a meal.
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.
FAQ
Questions about the golden chanterelle
How do you identify a chanterelle?
By the underside. A chanterelle has blunt, shallow ridges that fork and run down the stem, not sharp, blade-like gills. The flesh is white inside and pulls apart in strings, the smell is fruity, and it grows singly or scattered on the ground.
What is the difference between a chanterelle and a jack-o'-lantern?
Jack-o'-lanterns grow in tight clusters from stumps or buried roots, have sharp, crowded true gills, and are orange inside. Chanterelles grow singly or scattered on soil, have blunt, forked ridges, and are white inside. The jack-o'-lantern causes severe vomiting.
When are chanterelles in season?
In eastern North America, from June to September, usually a few days after heavy summer rain. On the West Coast they fruit from fall into winter.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Cantharellus cibarius
MushroomExpert.com
- Golden Chanterelle (Girolle)
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Cantharellus cibarius
Index Fungorum
Also on Mushrooms.id
Related species
Toxic lookalike
Big Laughing Gym
Gymnopilus junonius
A large, orange-yellow cluster on wood with a ring on a thick stem and a rusty orange spore print.
Cortinarius rubellus
Photo coming
Deadly
Deadly Webcap
Cortinarius rubellus
Orange-brown, pointed cap, rusty brown gills, and yellowish bands of veil on the stem, in mossy conifer woods.
Edible
Hedgehog Mushroom
Hydnum repandum
Soft, crowded spines hang from the underside of the cap instead of gills or pores.
Edible
Saffron Milk Cap
Lactarius deliciosus
Carrot-orange milk oozes from cut gills and slowly turns green.
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