Cantharellus cibarius var. roseocanus

[ Basidiomycetes > Cantharellales > Cantharellus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Cantharellus cibarius var. roseocanus was originally described from the Pacific Northwest, where it grows under sitka spruce, shore pine, or Engelmann spruce. Distinguishing features for this chanterelle include the bright orange false gills, which contrast markedly with the duller cap surface; and the pinkish bloom that often covers young caps.

The illustrated collections are not from the Pacific Northwest, however; they represent the typical high-elevation chanterelle from Colorado's Rocky Mountains, growing under Engelmann spruce. I suspect that this Colorado chanterelle is a match for Cantharellus cibarius var. roseocanus.

Cantharellus cibarius var. roseocanus is an excellent edible.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with conifers, including sitka spruce, shore pine, Bishop pine, and Engelmann spruce; growing alone, gregariously or in loose clusters; summer and fall; Pacific Northwest, northern California, and the southern Rocky Mountains.

Cap: 3-12 cm across; more or less planoconvex when young (often with a rolled-under margin); becoming flat or shallowly depressed, with a wavy and irregular margin; tacky when wet; pale yellow to egg-yolk yellow or orange; often fading to nearly whitish when exposed to sunlight; when young with a pale to dark pink bloom, especially near the margin; not bruising when handled, or bruising brownish very slowly.

Undersurface: With well developed false gills that frequently feature cross-veins; running deeply down the stem; bright, intense orange (usually contrasting markedly with the cap surface); not bruising, or bruising slowly brownish.

Stem: 2-5 cm long; 1-2.5 cm thick; variable in shape but often stocky; smooth below the false gills; colored like the cap, or colored like the undersurface; not bruising, or bruising slowly brownish.

Flesh: Whitish; solid; unchanging when sliced.

Odor and Taste: Taste not distinctive or slightly peppery; odor fragrant and sweet, like apricots.

Chemical Reactions: False gills olive to olive gray with iron salts (see Reactions to Iron Salts among the Chanterelles).

Microscopic Features: Spores 7.5-11 x 4.5-5.5 µ; smooth; elliptical.

REFERENCES: Redhead, Norvell & Danell, 1997. (Redhead et al., 1997; Pilz et al., 2003.) Herb. Kuo 08140701, 08170804; RMPMB 182, 183.

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Kuo, M. (2008, September). Cantharellus cibarius var. roseocanus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cantharellus_cibarius_roseocanus.html