Scaly Chanterelle

Turbinellus floccosus

Toxic lookalike

Also called woolly chanterelle, scaly vase chanterelle.

The scaly chanterelle is a tall orange to reddish-orange trumpet of conifer forests, with a deep hollow top lined with scales and a pale, wrinkled underside. Despite its name it is not a true chanterelle, and it causes gastrointestinal upset in many people.

Turbinellus floccosus

Photo coming

The tell

Tall orange trumpet with a scaly, hollow top and a cream, wrinkled underside.

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
Trumpet- or vase-shaped with a deep central hollow that may reach into the stem. The top surface is orange to reddish orange with coarse, soft scales, fading to yellowish orange with age.
Underside
Wrinkled, forked ridges and veins that run far down the stem, cream to pale yellowish or buff, much paler than the top.
Stem
Short, tapering to a narrow base, whitish to pale buff, and merging with the cap. No ring and no cup.
Flesh
White, thick and fibrous. Smell is not distinctive.
Spore print
Ochre to yellowish brown.
Size
Cap 2 to 6 inches wide (5 to 15 cm); whole mushroom 3 to 8 inches tall (8 to 20 cm).

Where and when

Where and when it grows

Habitat
Conifer and mixed forests, especially under fir, hemlock, spruce and Douglas-fir.
Grows on
Soil, mycorrhizal with conifer roots.
Season
Summer to fall.
Range
Widespread across North America, most common in western mountain and Pacific Northwest conifer forests.

Lookalikes

What the scaly chanterelle gets confused with

Each card says how to tell the two apart.

  3. Pig's ear (Gomphus clavatus)

    A related species with a flat, purplish-tan to lilac top and a purplish wrinkled underside, without the bright orange scaly hollow.

Edibility

What the field guides say

Toxic lookalike

Field guides list the scaly chanterelle as poisonous or not recommended. It causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in many people, while others report eating it without symptoms. It has been placed in Gomphus and now Turbinellus, not the true chanterelle genus Cantharellus.

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 scaly chanterelle

Is the scaly chanterelle poisonous?

Field guides list Turbinellus floccosus as poisonous or not recommended because it causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in many people. Reactions vary, and some people report no symptoms.

Is the scaly chanterelle a real chanterelle?

No. It belongs to the genus Turbinellus, formerly Gomphus, in a different family from the true chanterelles. Its wrinkled underside resembles a chanterelle's, but its tall, scaly, hollow trumpet shape and pale underside separate it.

Where do scaly chanterelles grow?

On the ground in conifer forests, especially under fir, hemlock, spruce and Douglas-fir, from summer into fall. They are most common in the western mountains and Pacific Northwest but occur across North America.

Sources

Where these facts come from

  1. Turbinellus floccosus

    MushroomExpert.com

  2. Turbinellus floccosus

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia

  3. Turbinellus floccosus

    MykoWeb, California Fungi

  4. Turbinellus floccosus

    Index Fungorum

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