Scaly Chanterelle Turbinellus floccosus — the scaly, vase-shaped chanterelle look-alike
The scaly chanterelle (Turbinellus floccosus) is one of the mushrooms most often mistaken for a chanterelle in the Pacific Northwest. It is very common in conifer forests from late summer into fall: a tall orange vase with a hollow center lined with curled scales, and a pale, crinkly-ridged underside running down the stem.
Despite the name, it isn’t a true chanterelle. Its closest relatives are the pig’s ear (Gomphus clavatus) and the coral fungi in Ramaria (Siegel & Schwarz, Mushrooms of Cascadia). It is not recommended for eating: it upsets many people’s stomachs, sometimes many hours after the meal.
Not Recommended: Delayed Stomach Upset
The scaly chanterelle causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in some people, and symptoms can start 8–14 hours after eating (Ammirati), long enough that people may not connect them to the meal. The cause may be norcaperatic acid (Benjamin), and compounds that may harm the liver have also been reported (Ammirati). Don’t eat it, and check every “chanterelle” for the features below.
Scout Fall Conditions on Forayz
Use rainfall, soil moisture, and soil temperature layers to see when fall mushroom season is starting in the conifer forests near you.
Identification
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Shape | Starts as a blunt, pointed cylinder, then the center sinks until the whole mushroom is a tall vase or funnel, 5–15 cm (occasionally 20) across. Often in fused clumps, sometimes with small pointed buttons clustered at the base. |
| Cap | Dark red to red-orange when young, soon orange, often yellow-orange at the thin, wavy edge. Covered in large, soft, matted scales that curl up in rings around the hollow center and lie flatter toward the edge. Slightly sticky when wet. |
| Underside | Pale cream to beige (bright yellow only when very young), with crinkly, branching, cross-veined ridges that run far down the stem — very different in color from the cap. |
| Stem | 8–16 cm long and thick, narrowing toward the base; ridged above, smooth to fibrous below; cream to beige, darkening with age. |
| Flesh | Thin in the cap, thick and fibrous in the stem; off-white. |
| Odor & taste | Not distinctive. |
Don’t rely on the scales alone
The shaggy scales are the most striking feature, but they can wear down or flatten on old or rain-beaten specimens. Check the shape and the underside too: a scaly chanterelle is a deep, hollow vase with a pale ridged underside that contrasts with the orange cap.
Scaly Chanterelle vs. True Chanterelles
| Feature | Scaly chanterelle | True chanterelles (Cantharellus) |
|---|---|---|
| Cap surface | Covered in soft, curled scales | Smooth |
| Shape | Tall vase with a deep, hollow center | Cap often wavy with a shallow dip, but not a deep vase |
| Color | Red to orange cap over a pale cream-beige underside | Paler orange to yellow; ridges usually close to the cap color |
| Underside | Crinkly, branching, heavily cross-veined ridges | Blunt, forked ridges with cross veins |
| Flesh | Thin in the cap, fibrous in the stem | Solid, white, and stringy |
| Edibility | Not recommended — delayed stomach upset | Choice edibles |
See the chanterelle guide for the true chanterelles and their other look-alikes.
Related Species
“T. floccosus” is a variable species complex, and the limits of the species in it are not yet settled (Siegel & Schwarz).
- Turbinellus kauffmanii: Large and vase-shaped, but pale beige to tan, with bold, blocky scales in rings. Fairly common, especially in the Cascades in years with summer or early fall rain, but less common than the scaly chanterelle. Faded scaly chanterelles usually keep a trace of orange. Not recommended: it likely causes the same stomach upset (it contains norcaperatic acid, per Ammirati).
- Turbinellus bonarii: Smaller, in fused clusters, less funnel-shaped, with a solid stem; in drier forests on the east side and in the southern Cascades (Siegel & Schwarz). It is hard to separate in practice, and many mycologists don’t recognize it as a separate species (Trudell).
- Pig’s ear (Gomphus clavatus): A relative with a purple to lavender ridged underside and a brownish top; see the veined mushrooms page.
Habitat & Season
The scaly chanterelle grows in duff under conifers, alone or more often in clumps, troops, arcs, and rings. It is very common throughout Cascadia. It comes up from late summer through fall, lasting into winter near the coast; iNaturalist observations from Oregon and Washington peak in October:
Based on iNaturalist observations from Oregon and Washington
Find Conifer Forest on Forayz
Use ecoregion and public land layers to find conifer forest near you, and check recent rainfall before you go.
Sources: Mushrooms of Cascadia (Siegel & Schwarz, 2024); MycoMatch (© Ian Gibson), a compilation of published descriptions through which most other field-guide authors named here are quoted; iNaturalist observations.