Cantharellus californicus, sometimes called the mud puppy or oak chanterelle, is a fungus

Fungus

A fungus is a member of a large 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, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...

 native to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus

Cantharellus

Cantharellus is a genus of popular edible mushrooms, commonly known as chanterelles . They are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form symbiotic associations with plants, making them very difficult to cultivate...

along with other popular edible chanterelle

Chanterelle

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped...

s. It is generally similar in appearance to C. cibarius and C. formosus

Cantharellus formosus

Cantharellus formosus, commonly known as the pacific golden chanterelle, is a fungus native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other popular edible chanterelles. It was only recently distinguished from C. cibarius of Europe, and...

except for its large size at maturity; individual specimens larger than 1 kilograms (2.2 lb) are reported, making it the largest known species of chanterelle. Their unusual size is due in part to their capacity for indeterminate growth

Indeterminate growth

In biology and especially botany, indeterminate growth refers to growth that is not terminated in contrast to determinate growth that stops once a genetically pre-determined structure has completely formed. Thus, a plant that grows and produces flowers and fruit until killed by frost or some other...

, making Cantharellus californicus specimens actively grow for far longer than most other mushrooms.

Description

The pileus

Pileus (mycology)

The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...

 (cap) of C. californicus is 8–30 cm (3.1–11.8 in) wide or greater, and yellow-orange in color although adhering leaf litter may cause a mottled color; may become brownish with age. The hymenium

Hymenium

The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...

 is folded into decurrent

Decurrent

Decurrent is a term used in botany and mycology to describe plant or fungal parts that extend downward.In botany, the term is most often applied to leaf blades that partly wrap or have wings around the stem or petiole and extend down along the stem...

 ridges (false gills) and cross-veins, which deepen with age. The color of these ridges is usually similar to the pileus but paler. The stipe

Stipe (mycology)

thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...

 (stem) is up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) wide and 9 centimetres (3.5 in) long, with coloration similar to the hymenium.

Distribution and habitat

C. californicus forms a mycorrhizal association

Mycorrhiza

A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....

 with oaks, particularly coast live oak in the woodland

California oak woodland

California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...

s of Coastal California

Coastal California

Coastal California refers to the coastal regions of the US state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by sociological, economical and political attributes...

. It has also been found in association with interior live oak, California black oak, canyon live oak

Quercus chrysolepis

Quercus chrysolepis, commonly termed Canyon Live Oak, or Golden Cup Oak, is a species of evergreen oak that is found in the southwestern part of North America, notably in the California Coast Ranges. This tree is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats...

, tanoak, and possibly Pacific madrone and manzanita

Arctostaphylos

Arctostaphylos is a genus of plants comprised by the manzanitas and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees.There are about 60 species of Arctostaphylos, ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain species to small trees up to 6 m tall. Most are evergreen , with small oval...

. C. californicus is a popular wild edible in the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

, and is most common between November and April.

Similar species

Several other species of chanterelle may be found in western North America:

• C. cascadensis
  Cantharellus cascadensis
  Cantharellus cascadensis is a fungus native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other popular edible chanterelles. It is named after the Cascade Range, where it was formally described in 2003.-Similar species:Several other species...
  
  — bright yellow fading to white in center of cap, associated with conifers
• C. cibarius var. roseocanus — false gills tend to be as dark or darker than cap
• C. formosus
  Cantharellus formosus
  Cantharellus formosus, commonly known as the pacific golden chanterelle, is a fungus native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other popular edible chanterelles. It was only recently distinguished from C. cibarius of Europe, and...
  
  — smaller size, narrower stem, associated with conifers
• C. subalbidus
  Cantharellus subalbidus
  Cantharellus subalbidus, the white chanterelle, is a fungus native to California and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other popular edible chanterelles. It is similar in appearance to other chanterelles except for its cream to white...
  
  — whitish overall color

Additionally, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, commonly known as the False Chanterelle, is an orange funnel-shaped mushroom which has been confused at times with the true chanterelles, however recent work shows its affinity lies with the Boletes in the order Boletales.-Description:The False chanterelle has an orange...

, Chroogomphus tomentosus

Chroogomphus

Chroogomphus is a genus of mushrooms commonly known as pine-spikes or spike-caps based on their shape and the fact that they are always found growing in association with pine trees...

, and species in the genera Craterellus

Craterellus

Craterellus is a genus of generally edible fungi similar to the closely related chanterelles, with some species recently reassigned to this genus. They are distinguished by their lack of gill-like structures on the underside of their caps....

, Gomphus

Gomphus (fungus)

Gomphus is a small genus of cantharelloid fungi in the family Gomphaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution in temperate regions, and contains 10 species. Once presumed to be related to chanterelles, molecular study has shown them to be allied with stinkhorns and fairy clubs...

, Omphalotus

Omphalotus

Omphalotus is a genus of Basidiomycete mushroom formally described by Victor Fayod in 1889. Members have the traditional cap and stem toadstool form. The best known and type species is the jack-o'-lantern mushroom . Species of Omphalotus, which are poisonous, have been mistaken for chanterelles...

, and Polyozellus

Polyozellus

Polyozellus is a fungal genus in the family Thelephoraceae, a grouping of mushrooms known collectively as the leathery earthfans. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Polyozellus multiplex, first described in 1899, and commonly known as the blue chanterelle, the clustered blue...

may have a somewhat similar appearance to C. californicus. Omphalotus olivascens

Omphalotus olivascens

Omphalotus olivascens, commonly known as the western jack-o'-lantern mushroom, is an orange to brown-colored gilled mushroom native to California and Mexico. To an untrained eye, O. olivascens appears similar to some chanterelles, but unlike the chanterelle, the jack o'lantern mushroom is poisonous...

, the western jack-o'-lantern mushroom, is poisonous and has been mistaken for chanterelles.