Cantharellus cibarius - Chanterelle

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Cantharellales

A very popular edible fungus, Cantharellus cibarius is known as the Girole in France and simply as Chanterelle in Britain. Occasional groups occur in mixed woodland, notably under birch trees and often beside paths.

The rich fruity aroma (like apricots, many people say) and pleasant texture of cooked Chanterelles are one of Nature's culinary delights, and these mushrooms are not difficult to spot if you look in the right kinds of places. For these reasons Cantharellus cibarius is one of my 'Magnificent Seven' and there are recipes for taking advantage of such marvelous mushrooms in Chapter 10 of my book Fascinated by Fungi... If you have never tried cooked Chanterelles you are in for a real treat; what's more, because these woodland fungi have wrinkles rather than gills on the fertile (lower) surface of their caps, getting to be competent at identifying them with complete certainty is not at all difficult.

In Britain we have found Chanterelles as early as the first week in June, although most years there are none to be seen until the end of June or early July. In 2011 there were still plenty of fresh young fruitbodies in mid October as far north as the Scotland's Caledonian Forest, although in more typical seasons these summer gourmet mushrooms are over by the end of September - at least unless you are able to travel to Southern Europe. In the south of France Giroles can be gathered until Christmas unless the winter is particularly harch, while in the Algarve region of Portugal the Chanterelles don't really get going until late November and we have been able to find them right through the winter until the weather gets too hot for them at the end of March.

Identification guide

Cap	The funnel-shaped cap has a wavy, irregular margin. Diameter up to 10cm. Colour varies from light yellow to deep egg-yolk yellow.
Veins	Not strictly gills at all, the wrinkled veins on the underside of the cap distinguish the Common Chanterelle from lookalikes such as Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, the False Chanterelle. The veins are very thick and decurrent, extending well down the stem; they are straight near to the stem but forked and more sinuous towards the edge of the cap.
Stem	The same colour or somewhat paler than the cap; short, and merging into the cap. When growing in clumps, as is often the case, the stems of Chanterelles are often curved and occasionally joined together near the base.
Spore print	Pinkish-white.
Odour/taste	Faint odour of apricots; taste (uncooked) not distinctive.
Habitat	This species is most frequently found in deciduous forests of oak, chestnut or hazel, but Common Chanterelles also occur under conifers and occasionally on roadside verges beneath deciduous hedgerows. They show a preference for acid soils.
Season	June to October - even into November in mild autumns.
Occurrence	Frequent but localised.
Similar species	Often confused with Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, the False Chanterelle, which is a bright orange gilled boletoid fungus.