A yellow to orange funnel-like mushroom often resembling the edible and esteemed Chanterelle. Said to be edible but has been known to cause hallicinations. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca is an Autumn species (August to November)
Very common. Occurs in large troops.
Coniferous woodland and on heaths.
Convex to shallowly funnel shaped/deeply depressed. Inrolled margin. Egg yellow to orange in colour.
Mushroomy smelling flesh which is egg yellow to dark orange in colour. Very tough.
Orange decurrent gills, dichotomously forked, narrow. This is the main distinguishing feature to separate this from Cantharellus cibarius which has veins and wrinkled folds instead of true gills.
5x8 - 3x5 Microns in size. Ovoid, slowly dextrinoid. White in colour.
Same colour as the cap and flesh. Often curved and tapering to an increased diameter towards the top.
There is confusion over the edibility of this species. It is in fact edible and apparently best pan-fried, but records show that it can cause nasty gastric upsets. Some records indicate that it can act as a hallucinogen.
