Cantharellus persicinus

[ Basidiomycetes > Cantharellales > Cantharellus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This fascinating chanterelle appears to be limited to the Appalachian Mountains, where it is relatively infrequently encountered--usually in association with oaks or eastern hemlock. Cantharellus persicinus is a medium-sized species that seems to differ from Cantharellus cibarius primarily in color; rather than the egg-yolk yellow to orange-yellow colors found in most of the cibarius-like species, Cantharellus persicinus is a gorgeous peach color. But more than a mere color difference is involved. DNA studies that have tested Cantharellus persicinus (Dunham et al., 2003; Moncalvo et al., 2006) not only support recognizing it as a distinct species; it appears to be well separated from Cantharellus cibarius, and may even represent one of the "basal" lineages from which many of the cibarius-like species evolved.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with oaks or eastern hemlock; growing alone or gregariously; summer and fall; Appalachian Mountains.

Cap: 2-4.5 cm wide; convex, becoming broadly convex or nearly flat; hoary when young, becoming very finely roughened, or bald; the margin inrolled when young, becoming wavy or irregular with maturity; salmon-orange to pinkish orange (peach colored); the margin bruising and discoloring yellowish.

Undersurface: With well developed, blunt false gills that run down the stem; sometimes developing cross-veins; colored like the cap or paler.

Stem: 2-6 cm long; 0.5-1 cm thick; tapered to base; bald; colored like the cap, with a whitish base; bruising and discoloring yellowish to brownish yellow.

Flesh: Whitish; solid; unchanging.

Odor and Taste: Taste mild; odor mild or sweet and fruity.

Chemical Reactions: Iron salts gray on undersurface.

Spore Print: Whitish to pinkish.

Microscopic Features: Spores 10.5-11.5 x 6-7 µ; smooth; ellipsoid; inamyloid; hyaline to ochraceous in KOH. Basidia to about 100 x 10 µ; 4-sterigmate. Pileipellis of hyphae 2-10 µ wide; hyaline to ochraceous in KOH; terminal cells subclavate to clavate or merely cylindric with rounded apices. Clamp connections present.

REFERENCES: Petersen, 1986. (Petersen, 1985; Roody, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 07171006.

Iron Salts

Spores

Pileipellis

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2011, February). Cantharellus persicinus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cantharellus_persicinus.html