Chanterelle is the common name of several species of fungi in the genera Cantharellus, Craterellus, Gomphus, and Polyozellus. They are among the most popular of wild edible mushrooms. They are orange, yellow or white, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, most species have rounded, forked folds that run almost all the way down the stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. Many species emit a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots, and often have a mildly peppery taste. The name chanterelle originates from the Greek kantharos meaning "tankard" or "cup", a reference to their general shape.
Craterellus is a genus of generally edible fungi similar to the closely related chanterelles, with some new species recently moved from the latter to the former. Both groups lack true gills on the underside of their caps, though they often have gill-like wrinkles and ridges.
Hygrocybe conica is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. In the UK it has been given the recommended English name of blackening waxcap, since all parts of the basidiocarp blacken with age. In North America it is commonly known as the witch's hat, conical wax cap or conical slimy cap. Hygrocybe conica is known to be a complex of at least eleven closely related species and as such is widespread in Europe, North America, Asia, and elsewhere.
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, commonly known as the false chanterelle, is a species of fungus in the family Hygrophoropsidaceae. It is found across several continents, growing in woodland and heathland, and sometimes on woodchips used in gardening and landscaping. Fruit bodies (mushrooms) are yellow–orange, with a funnel-shaped cap up to 8 cm across that has a felt-like surface. The thin, often forked gills on the underside of the cap run partway down the length of the otherwise smooth stipe. Reports on the mushroom's edibility vary – it is considered poisonous, but has historically been eaten in parts of Europe and the Americas.
Turbinellus floccosus, commonly known as the scaly vase, or sometimes the shaggy, scaly, or woolly chanterelle, is a cantharelloid mushroom of the family Gomphaceae native to Asia and North America. It was known as Gomphus floccosus until 2011, when it was found to be only distantly related to the genus's type species, G. clavatus. It was consequently transferred from Gomphus to Turbinellus. The orange-capped vase- or trumpet-shaped fruiting bodies may reach 30 cm (12 in) high and 30 cm (12 in) wide. The lower surface, the hymenium, is covered in wrinkles and ridges rather than gills or pores, and is pale buff or yellowish to whitish.
Hygrocybe coccinea, sometimes called the scarlet hood, scarlet waxcap or righteous red waxy cap, is a colourful member of the mushroom genusHygrocybe. These waxcaps are found across the Northern Hemisphere from China and Japan to Europe and North America. The small bright red mushroom is a familiar sight in unimproved grasslands in Europe in late summer and autumn, and woodlands in North America in winter.
Hygrocybe miniata, commonly known as the vermilion waxcap or miniature waxy cap, is a small, bright red or red-orange mushroom of the waxcap genus Hygrocybe. It is a cosmopolitan species, that is found worldwide. In Europe, it is found in fields, on sandy heaths, or grassy commons in the autumn. It is found in rainforest and eucalypt forest as well as heathland in Australia.
Gomphus clavatus, commonly known as pig's ears or the violet chanterelle, is an edible species of fungus in the genus Gomphus native to Eurasia and North America. The fruit body is vase- or fan-shaped with wavy edges to its rim, and grows up to 15–16 cm wide and 17 cm tall. The upper surface or cap is orangish-brown to lilac, while the lower spore-bearing surface, the hymenium, is covered in wrinkles and ridges rather than gills or pores, and is a distinctive purple color. Described by Jacob Christian Schäffer in 1774, G. clavatus has had several name changes and many alternative scientific names, having been classified in the genus Cantharellus, though it is not closely related to them.
Polyozellus is a fungal genus in the family Thelephoraceae, a grouping of mushrooms known collectively as the leathery earthfans. Previously considered a monotypic genus, it now contains the Polyozellus multiplex species complex. The genus name is derived from the Greek poly meaning many, and oz, meaning branch. It is commonly known as the blue chanterelle, the clustered blue chanterelle, or, in Alaska, the black chanterelle. The distinctive fruit body of this species comprises blue- to purple-colored clusters of vase- or spoon-shaped caps with veiny wrinkles on the undersurface that run down the length of the stem.
Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible fungus in the mushroom family Cantharellaceae. An ectomycorrhizal species, it is found in Asia, Africa, and North America. The species has a complex taxonomic history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (hymenium) of the caps is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis has revealed the presence of several carotenoid compounds in the fruit bodies.
Cantharellus subalbidus, the white chanterelle, is a fungus native to California and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other popular edible chanterelles. It is similar in appearance to other chanterelles except for its cream to white color and orange bruising.
Cantharellus cinnabarinus, the red chanterelle, is a fungus native to eastern North America. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other chanterelles. It is named after its red color, which is imparted by the carotenoid canthaxanthin. It is edible and good, fruiting in association with hardwood trees in the summer and fall.
Cantharellus minor is a fungus native to eastern North America. It is one of the smallest of the genus Cantharellus, which includes other edible chanterelles. It is suspected of being mycorrhizal, found in association with oaks and moss. Recently, C. minor has been reported from semi-evergreen to evergreen forests in the Western Ghats, Kerala, India forming ectomycorrhizal associations with tree species like Vateria indica, Diospyros malabarica, Hopea parviflora, and Myristica species. The cap of C. minor ranges from 0.5 to 3.0 cm wide and is convex and umbonate, often shallowly depressed, becoming funnel-shaped in some. The yellowish gills are decurrent, and fade to yellowish white in maturity. The stipe is less than 4 cm (1.6 in) tall. They fruit in the summer and fall. Although insubstantial, they are edible.
Cuphophyllus pratensis is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of meadow waxcap in the UK and in North America has variously been called the meadow waxy cap, salmon waxy cap, and butter meadowcap. The species has a widespread, mainly temperate distribution, occurring in grassland in Europe and in woodland elsewhere. The basidiocarps are edible and are occasionally collected and sold commercially.
Craterellus fallax is a species of "black trumpets" that occurs in Eastern North America where it replaces the European taxon Craterellus cornucopioides. C. fallax can also be separated by its yellow-orange spore print, where C. cornucopioides has a white spore print. It has often been considered a synonym of C. cornucopioides. C. fallax is mycorrhizal, forming associations with Tsuga and Quercus species, among others.
Phlebia incarnata is a species of polypore fungus in the family Meruliaceae. It is inedible.
Hygrocybe astatogala is a mushroom of the waxcap genus Hygrocybe. It is found in Madagascar, Australia, Central Africa, the Philippines and New Zealand, it was first described scientifically as Bertrandia astatogala by French mycologist Roger Heim in 1936. Paul Heinemann transferred it to Hygrocybe in 1963.
Hygrocybe appalachianensis, commonly known as the Appalachian waxy cap, is a gilled fungus of the waxcap family. It is found in the eastern United States, where it fruits singly, in groups, or clusters on the ground in deciduous and mixed forests. The species, described in 1963 from collections made in the Appalachian Mountains, was originally classified in the related genus Hygrophorus. It was transferred to Hygrocybe in 1998, in which it has been proposed as the type species of section Pseudofirmae.
Hygrocybe flavescens, commonly known as the golden waxy cap, is a species of Hygrocybe described from Michigan. It is considered nonpoisonous to humans. The species can be found in various forests and woodlands.
Hygrocybe lepida is an agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. The species occurs in Europe and was previously referred to the American Hygrocybe cantharellus but is now known to be distinct. Its recommended English name is goblet waxcap. The species is typically found in nutrient-poor waxcap grassland.
