Help needing IDing these possible chanterelles

[Nagual]

Was out again today looking for interesting mushrooms and came across a couple of patches of what may be Chanterelles. I know it's getting a bit late for them so didn't really expect to find any, however luck may have been on my side.

First off, is one of the ones I think most likely are Chanterelles. The were in a small patch of maybe 4 or 5, slightly slug eaten. Just out from under some beech trees in the grass. Were a very yellow colour, not like the ones I previously found here.

A short distance along I came across a larger patch of contenders of the Chanterelle title, these were under a beech tree and a much darker colour, more orange then yellow.

A side by side shot shows the difference in colour, although the basic shape is similar.

A shot of both contenders gills, side by side. The yellow one is on the left and orange on the right- the flash makes the the colour a little bleached out.

When I compare the orange one to the ones found a few days ago, the only similarity is the colour, the gills are not as deep and wider apart, although not as much as the yellow one found today, which I am fairly sure is a Chanterelle, but as I am just starting out in this minefield of 'shroom IDing, I'd appreciate and pointers and help.

Cheers, in advance.

 

[chickenofthewoods]

You don't mention aroma. I have yet to have the pleasure of finding chanterelles (other than the winter variety - Cantharellus xanthopus) but I understand that they have a very distinctive aroma described as somewhat like apricot, so much so that I know of several fungi experts who have recounted locating an outcrop by smell even before spotting their distinctive colour in the undergrowth.

 

[gregorach]

Colour can vary quite a bit. They both look like Chanterelles to me, but I'd want to smell them to be sure.

 

[Nagual]

Ah, yes aroma. The yellow one smells sort of light and pleasant, perhaps fruity. The second doesn't have much of a smell at all, other than that of the forest. Of course this may be down to being late in the season, maybe not. Having read a few 'shroom sites, many say aroma may be a bit hit and miss, depending on location, time of year etc, but as I say I don't have a scoobie. One of the most tell tale signs as far as I can tell is the gills tending to be shallow and wide, as apposed to being deep and narrow like many other mushrooms. The yellow one above certainly has that, the more orange one less so but not as deep and fine as I've saw before.

This mushroom IDing certainly isn't easy.. lol.

 

[Toddy]

They look like chanterelles to me, though the orangeyer one I might wonder about being the false one. I've eaten both, and tbh, the false one tasted slightly better.

How about a process of elimination ?
What else *could* they be ?

cheers,
M

 

[stevemreid]

I'd guess that the egg yolk yellow ones are the real ones and the orangey one is the false chanterelles. I've got loads of false ones growing in my garden which was quite dissapointing!

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, I was wondering about it being the false Chanterelle, but the gills don't look right and it's very uniform in colour.

Is the stem hollow at the base?

 

[Nagual]

Yeah, I was wondering about it being the false Chanterelle, but the gills don't look right and it's very uniform in colour.

Is the stem hollow at the base?

Just cut open the base of both and split them down the middle, neither are hollow. Both are on paper covered by a bowl, to see if I can get a spore print. On a tangent, my oyster prints came up nice.. now to figure out how to clone them.. if only I had 'Lets Grow Mushrooms' DVD..

 

[gregorach]

False chanterelles have a hollow lower stem, if memory serves me right.

 

[xylaria]

All the gills i can see in the pictures are the very distinctive shallow ridges you get with chanterelles.

False chanterelles have true gills not ridges. Scotland can occasional grow jack-o-lanterns which again have true gills, they glow green in the dark though.

 

[stevemreid]

We need some nice person to upload a side by side comparison of the real ones and the false. Seen this topic come up a few times in the past and I always check the posts for a definitive answer. As a begginner I find it very difficult to tell between the two even with my little Collins mushroom ID book.

 

[Nagual]

Well today, I got a Collins Wild Guide Mushroom & Toadstool book from Bivibabe for my birthday, and had a gander at Chanterelles and false ones. In addition to that the ones I picked the other day have at last gave a spore print. Both of the ones I picked had orangy spores and not white. In the book, this means definitely not False Chanterelles. Both have strong characteristics of being Chanterelles, so I think the resounding definitive answer is definitely Chanterelles. Probably...

Thanks to everyone who replied, I'm beginning to find this 'shrooming lark to be quite interesting indeed. Of course there is an awful lot to look at never mind learn, some 1.5 million fungus in the world and only 5% of that described.. mind boggling! Some are so similar the only way to tell them apart is by sticking the spore under a microscope. I don't think I'm quite ready to go that far yet.. lol

 

[stevemreid]

Hey Nagual,
I see your from Ayrshire - I'm from Ayr here. If you ever fancy going on a shroom hunt give me a shout! I'm a newbie to identifying them also. Best place I have found so far was Loch Trool. Was heaving with mushrooms last year, most of which I failed to identify! I did find a lovely fly agaric tho which was great!