Cantharellus minor

[ Basidiomycetes > Cantharellales > Cantharellus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

There isn't much separating this mushroom from Cantharellus cibarius, the Chanterelle--and, to complicate things, miniature forms of Cantharellus cibarius can be found with some regularity, if my own experience is indicative (see the bottom illustration on the Cantharellus cibarius page). However, Cantharellus minor usually grows in moss and is not only much smaller than the average chanterelle, but has more slender proportions, even when compared to miniature Cantharellus cibarius specimens. The stem of Cantharellus minor is very slender, and usually tapers to the base, and the cap is insubstantial rather than fleshy. The cap does not, however, usually develop a central perforation and become deeply vase-shaped, like the caps in Craterellus.

Like many other chanterelles, Cantharellus minor features egg-yolk yellow colors and well developed false gills. It even has the fruity, apricot-like odor of its larger cousins--though you may need to collect several hundred specimens to detect it. As far as edibility is concerned, Cantharellus minor is as delicious as Cantharellus cibarius, but it is very small and insubstantial; if you are in the habit of ignoring the little chanterelles in favor of bigger, meatier specimens, you will want to bypass the species.

Description:

Ecology: Officially mycorrhizal with hardwoods, but possibly saprobic as well; growing alone or scattered in moss under hardwoods (especially oaks) in eastern North America; summer and fall.

Cap: .5-3 cm wide; convex becoming shallowly vase-shaped with an arched and wavy margin; not developing a central perforation; egg-yolk yellow to orange-yellow; smooth or very finely scaly or hairy.

Undersurface: With well developed false gills that run down the stem; colored like the cap.

Stem: 1.5-2.5 cm long; 3-7 mm wide; slender; equal or tapering slightly to base; colored like the cap or paler.

Flesh: Very thin; pale yellowish to orangish.

Odor and Taste: Taste not distinctive; odor sweet and fragrant.

Spore Print: Pale yellowish.

Microscopic Features: Spores 6-11.5 x 4-6.5 µ; smooth; more or less elliptical.

REFERENCES: Peck, 1872. (Corner, 1966; Smith, 1968; Bigelow, 1978; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 07140301, 07050702.

Further Online Information:

Cantharellus minor at Roger's Mushrooms

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, February). Cantharellus minor. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cantharellus_minor.html