Cantharellus aurora - Golden Chanterelle

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Cantharellales

The key identifying feature of this mushroom is the underside of its cap, which is smooth or only very slightly wrinkled with sometimes a few very broad veins rather than the deep false gills that characterise the much larger and more commonly seen Cantharellus cibarius and Cantharellus tubaeformis.

I have found these little mushrooms mainly under oaks, and invariably in small groups rather than singly.

Cantharellus xanthopus, Cantharellus lutescens and Craterellus aurora are among the many synonyms that have been applied to this attractive member of the family Cantharellaceae.

Identification guide

Cap	Brown scales cover a golden background that shows through more as the cap expands; funnel-shaped with a wavy, irregular margin that is often multi-lobed; 2 to 5cm across.
Veins	Not strictly gills at all, the wrinkled veins on the underside of the cap distinguish chanterelles from true agaricoid mushrooms. The cap underside is cream or pale pinkish-yellow; smooth and matt; with very few shallow veins (false gills).
Stem	Yellow; cylindrical or tapering towards base; becoming hollow; 2 to 5cm long, 0.5 to 1cm dia.
Spore print	White or pale yellow.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	This species is most frequently found under oaks.
Season	June to October - even into November in mild autumns.
Occurrence	Uncommon.
Similar species	Cantharellus cibarius is larger, with a less contorted golden cap. Could be confused with Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, the False Chanterelle, which is a bright orange gilled boletoid fungus.