Jack-o'-Lantern vs Golden Chanterelle
Omphalotus olearius and Cantharellus cibarius are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
Glows faintly in the dark and is regularly mistaken for chanterelles. Causes violent vomiting and cramps.
One of the great wild edibles. Egg-yellow, apricot-scented, with blunt false gills running down the stem.
Side by side
| Omphalotus olearius | Cantharellus cibarius | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Poisonous | Edible |
| Habitat | Clustered at the base of living or dead broadleaf trees, especially olive and oak. | Mossy broadleaf and conifer woodland on acid soil, mycorrhizal with beech, oak, birch and pine. |
| Season | Late summer to autumn. | Summer to autumn. |
| Spore print | Cream to pale yellow. | Pale yellow. |
The recorded spore prints differ: cream to pale yellow for Omphalotus olearius, pale yellow for Cantharellus cibarius. That is one documented difference, not a test you can pass.
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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Omphalotus olearius is also confused with Pale Chanterelle and Oyster Mushroom.
Cantharellus cibarius is also confused with Deadly Webcap, Pale Chanterelle, Yellowfoot and Hedgehog Mushroom.
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