Craterellus ignicolor

[ Basidiomycetes > Cantharellales > Craterellus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Craterellus ignicolor is characterized by its diminutive size, its well developed false gills, and its yellow to orange (rather than brown) cap, which develops a perforation in its center and becomes vase-shaped with maturity. It grows in moss or in wet, boggy areas in both conifer and hardwood forests in eastern North America. Compare with Craterellus tubaeformis, which grows in similar locations but has a brown cap--and, if you are collecting in the Gulf Coast states, under slash pine, with Craterellus tabernensis, which is initially brownish but fades to yellow or orange when mature. Cantharellus minor is also similar, but does not develop a central perforation.

Craterellus ignicolor is probably edible, but I cannot find any record of its edibility; I have not tried it.

A DNA study by Dahlman et al. (2000) found "Cantharellus ignicolor" to belong to the "Craterellus Clade," between Craterellus tubaeformis and Craterellus cornucopioides (see the Cantharellus / Craterellus Clade for details), so I am using the genus name Craterellus for this mushroom. However, the official transfer has not yet been published, to my knowledge.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic and/or mycorrhizal; growing alone or gregariously in moss or sphagnum in conifer bogs, and under hardwoods in damp, shady areas; apparently limited to eastern North America; summer and fall.

Cap: Up to 5 cm wide; convex when very young but soon developing a central depression and, eventually, becoming perforated in the center and vase-shaped overall; with a wavy and often irregular margin at maturity; slightly sticky or waxy when fresh; fairly smooth, or with tiny appressed fibrils; yellow, brownish yellow, or orange, but often fading to dull yellowish.

Undersurface: With well developed false gills; creamy to pale yellow or very pale tan; running down the stem.

Stem: Up to 6 cm long; to 1.5 cm thick; equal or tapering to base; becoming hollow; smooth; yellow or orange.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Spore Print: Whitish or pale pinkish yellow.

Chemical Reactions: Undersurface and flesh grayish with iron salts.

Microscopic Features: Spores 9-13 x 6-9 µ elliptical; smooth.

REFERENCES: Cantharellus ignicolor: Petersen, 1975. (Corner, 1966; Bigelow, 1978; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 09190503, 07260404.

Further Online Information:

Cantharellus ignicolor at Roger's Mushrooms

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, February). Craterellus ignicolor. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/craterellus_ignicolor.html