Jack-o'-Lantern vs Pale Chanterelle
Omphalotus olearius and Cantharellus pallens 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.
A frosted-looking chanterelle of beech woods, treated in the kitchen exactly like the golden one.
Side by side
| Omphalotus olearius | Cantharellus pallens | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Poisonous | Edible |
| Habitat | Clustered at the base of living or dead broadleaf trees, especially olive and oak. | Broadleaf woodland, often with beech, on the same ground as the golden chanterelle. |
| 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 pallens. 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 Golden Chanterelle and Oyster Mushroom.
Cantharellus pallens is also confused with Golden Chanterelle.
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