Polyozellus multiplex: The Blue Chanterelle

[ Basidiomycetes > Thelephorales > Polyozellus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This striking mushroom is unfortunately rare, and not likely to be encountered by many mushroomers. It has an affinity for spruce and fir, so it is only likely to occur in the northern North America or at high elevations. Though it is commonly called the "blue chanterelle," it does not fit very well into the genus Cantharellus--nor does it match Craterellus or Gomphus. In short, mycologists have been wondering for years where to put this mushroom . . . while amateurs like me have been simply hoping to find it one day!

Polyozellus multiplex is listed as edible in field guides. David Arora (1986, 668) compares its texture to that of the Black Trumpet, but calls the taste "inferior."

Description:

Ecology: Specific ecological role undocumented, to my knowledge; typically growing in fused clusters (up to one meter across!) under spruces and firs; northern and montane North America; summer and fall.

Individual Caps: 2-10 cm wide; irregularly shaped ("spoon shaped" according to many authors); surface purple to black to blue, with a wavy margin.

Undersurfaces: Smooth to wrinkled, or sometimes with gill-like folds; colored like the cap or paler.

Stems: 2-5 cm long; .5-2 cm wide; colored like the under surface; fused with other stems at the base; solid or becoming hollow.

Flesh: Deep purple to bluish; soft but brittle.

Odor and Taste: Mild.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 6-8.5 x 5.5-8 µ; warted and angular; broadly elliptical to nearly round.

REFERENCES: (Underwood, 1899) Murrill, 1910. (Smith, 1949; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Thiers, 1985; Arora, 1986; Lincoff, 1992; Barron, 1999; Pilz et al., 2003; Miller & Miller, 2006.) I have not collected this mushroom.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2003). Polyozellus multiplex: The blue chanterelle. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/polyozellus_multiplex.html