Golden Chanterelle vs Pale Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius and Cantharellus pallens are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
One of the great wild edibles. Egg-yellow, apricot-scented, with blunt false gills running down the stem.
A frosted-looking chanterelle of beech woods, treated in the kitchen exactly like the golden one.
Side by side
| Cantharellus cibarius | Cantharellus pallens | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Edible | Edible |
| Habitat | Mossy broadleaf and conifer woodland on acid soil, mycorrhizal with beech, oak, birch and pine. | Broadleaf woodland, often with beech, on the same ground as the golden chanterelle. |
| Season | Summer to autumn. | Summer to autumn. |
| Spore print | Pale yellow. | Pale yellow. |
This comparison cannot make a mushroom safe to eat. It sets out the few characteristics this game records, in general terms, for two species that vary by region, age and growing conditions. Real specimens overlap in ways no table and no photograph can separate, and the deadly one here is deadly in a single meal. Ask a qualified local expert, every time.
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Cantharellus cibarius is also confused with Deadly Webcap, Jack-o'-Lantern, Yellowfoot and Hedgehog Mushroom.
Cantharellus pallens is also confused with Jack-o'-Lantern.
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