Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

The false chanterelle is a species of fungus in the family Hygrophoropsidaceae. Fruit bodies are yellow–orange, with a funnel-shaped cap up to 8 cm across. The thin, often forked gills on the underside of the cap run partway down the length of the otherwise smooth stipe. It is found across several continents, growing in woodland and heathland.

About Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca in brief

Summary Hygrophoropsis aurantiacaThe false chanterelle is a species of fungus in the family Hygrophoropsidaceae. Fruit bodies are yellow–orange, with a funnel-shaped cap up to 8 cm across. The thin, often forked gills on the underside of the cap run partway down the length of the otherwise smooth stipe. Reports on the mushroom’s edibility vary – it can serve as food, though not a particularly flavorful one, or it can be slightly poisonous. It is found across several continents, growing in woodland and heathland, and sometimes on woodchips used in gardening and landscaping. Genetic analysis has confirmed that it belongs to the order Boletales and is more closely related to boletes. It has been confused with the true chanterelles because of overall similarities in appearance. The specific epithet is the Latin word aurantiacus, meaning ‘orange’ or ‘kind of pernicious’ The fungus was first described in 1781 by Austrian naturalist Franz Xaver von Wulfen.

It was originally placed in the genus Clitocybe, but it was later observed that its forked Gills and dextrinoid spores indicated a relationship to Paxillus. Two other varieties of the fungus have been described, but they are not considered to have independent taxonomic significance by Index Fungorum. Two varieties described by Derek Reid in 1972 have since been promoted to distinct species status as H. aurantiaca var. rufa and H.  rufa. The genus name refers to a resemblance to the genus Hygophorus, and the species is commonly known as the false chanterenle. It can be found in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South Africa. It also grows in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. The fungus can grow on trees, shrubs, grasses and grasses, and is found in the UK and the U.S. It may also be found on the ground in the form of a small tree called a ‘mushroom’.