''Cantharellus cinnabarinus'', the red chanterelle, is a

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

native to eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It is a member of the genus ''

Cantharellus ''Cantharellus'' is a genus of popular edible mushrooms, commonly known as chanterelles, a name which can also refer to the type species, ''Cantharellus cibarius''. They are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form symbiotic associations with plants ...

'' along with other

chanterelle Chanterelle is the common name of several species of fungi in the genera '' Cantharellus'', '' Craterellus'', '' Gomphus'', and ''Polyozellus''. They are among the most popular of wild edible mushrooms. They are orange, yellow or white, meaty a ...

s. It is named after its

red color The Red Color ( he, צבע אדום, transl.: ''Tzeva Adom'') is an early-warning radar system installed by the Israel Defense Forces in several towns surrounding the Gaza Strip to warn civilians of imminent attack by rockets (usually Qassam r ...

, which is imparted by the

carotenoid Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic compound, organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and Fungus, fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpki ...

canthaxanthin Canthaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid pigment widely distributed in nature. Carotenoids belong to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenoids. The chemical formula of canthaxanthin is C40H52O2. It was first isolated in edible mushrooms. It ...

. It is

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

and good, fruiting in association with

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

trees in the summer and fall.

Description

''Cantharellus cinnabarinus'' is recognized by its distinctive flamingo-pink or bright orange and red colors (imparted by the carotenoid canthaxanthin) and the presence of false gills underneath the cap.

Ecology

Widely distributed in Eastern Northern America; found mostly on the ground in broadleaf and mixed broadleaf/conifer forests; usually scattered or occurring in small groups; forms mycorrhizal associations with forest trees in the summer and fall; shows preference for acid soils.

References

External links

* cinnabarinus Fungi described in 1832 Fungi of North America Edible fungi Taxa named by Lewis David de Schweinitz {{Agaricomycetes-stub