Omphalotus olearius (Jack o'Lantern)
Family
Marasmiaceae
Location
North America and Europe
Dimensions
Cap 8-12 cm diameter, stem up to 14 cm tall * 1-2 cm thick
Edibility
This site contains no information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.
Description
Omphalotus olearius, also known as the Jack o'Lantern, is an orange mushroom that typically grows in dense clusters on the decaying underground roots of oaks and olive trees. The mushroom is frequently confused with chanterelles.

Cap initially convex, later shallow to moderately depressed, usually without a central bump; smooth; dry or slightly greasy. The colour ranges from bright brownish orange to yellowish orange, and sometimes reddish-orange or nearly brown. The margin is slightly rolled inward when young. Gills deeper orange, decurrent (running down the stem), close and with many short-gills. The gills are luminescent when fresh. Stem pale orange to orange, smooth, tapering and darkening towards the base. Spore print creamy white.

Microscopic Features: The spores are smooth, ellipsoidal to globose, with dimensions of 5-7 µm x 4.5-6.5 µm.

Omphalotus olearius on the First Nature Web site.
Omphalotus olearius on the MushroomExpert.Com Web site.
Omphalotus olearius on Wikipedia.

Many mushrooms are poisonous and some are lethally poisonous. It can be very difficult to distinguish between an edible and a poisonous mushroom. Because of that, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms, and this site does not contain any information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.

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