Cantharellus lateritius
Encyclopedia
Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible
fungus in the Cantharellaceae
family of mushroom
s. A saprobic species, it is found in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and India. The species has a complex taxonomic
history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description
by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies
of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (hymenium
) of the caps
is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis
has revealed the presence of several carotenoid
compounds in the fruit bodies.
The species was first described
in the scientific literature as Thelephora cantharella by the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, based on specimens collected in Ohio
. Elias Magnus Fries
later transferred it to Craterellus
in his 1838 Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. In 1856, Miles Joseph Berkeley
and Moses Ashley Curtis
mentioned the fungus in their analysis of Schweinitz's specimens, but changed the epithet, calling it Craterellus lateritius. The motivation for the name change is unclear; Ronald H. Petersen, in a 1979 publication, suggests that Berkeley "was apparently reluctant to surrender his own name for the organism". Petersen suggests that Berkeley may have foreseen the necessity to avoid giving the species a tautonym
(a situation where both the generic name and specific epithet are identical). However, as Petersen indicates, a future publication renders this explanation dubious: in 1873 Berkeley again referred to the species using his chosen name Craterellus lateritius, and indicated a type location (Alabama
) different than the one mentioned by Schweinitz. Petersen considers Berkeley's name to be a nomen novum
(new name), not a new species, as Berkeley clearly indicated that he thought Craterellus lateritius was synonymous
with Schweinitz's Thelephora cantharella. Normally in these circumstances, Schweinitz's specimen would be considered the type, but Petersen was unable to locate Schweinitz's original specimen, and thus according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, Berkeley's epithet has precedence
as it is the earliest published name that has an associated type specimen.
Another synonym is Trombetta lateritia, used by Otto Kuntze
in his 1891 Revisio Generum Plantarum
. American mycologist Rolf Singer
transferred it to the genus Cantharellus in 1951. The mushroom is commonly known as the "smooth chanterelle". The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth hymenium
.
of the C. lateritius fruit bodies
typically range between 2 to 9 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.5 in) in diameter, with a flattened to somewhat funnel-shaped top surface and a wavy margin. The cap surface is dry, slightly tomentose (covered with a layer of fine hairs), and a deep and bright orange-yellow color, with older specimens fading to more yellow in age; the extreme margins of the cap are a paler yellow, and typically curve downward in young specimens. Fruit bodies can reach a height of 12 cm (4.7 in). The hymenophore (the spore-bearing surface) is initially smooth and without wrinkles, but gradually develops channels or ridges, and what appear to be very shallow gills that are vein-like, and less than 1 mm wide. The color is pale yellow, and is continuous with the surface of the stem. The stem
is rather plump and stout, 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.590551181102362 to 1.8 in) long and 0.5 to 1.7 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.669291338582677 ) thick, more or less cylindrical, tapering downwards towards the base. Internally, the stems are either stuffed (filled with cotton-like mycelia) or solid. Rarely, fruit bodies may be clumped together with stems joined at the base; in these cases there are usually no more than three fused stems. The flesh
is solid to partly hollow (sometimes due to insect larvae), with a pale yellow color; it is 0.5 to 0.9 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.354330708661417 in) thick.
The spores
are smooth, with a roughly ellipsoid shape, and have typical dimensions of 7–7.5 by 4.5–5 µm
. In deposit, such as in a spore print
, the spores are light yellow orange, while under the microscope they are a very pale yellowish. The spore bearing cells—the basidia—are 75–80 by 7–9 µm, 4-5-6-spored, slightly club-shaped, and with a distinctly thickened wall at the base. Clamp connection
s (short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division) are present in the hypha
e of all parts of the fruit body.
and a hollow stem. The poisonous "Jack O'Lantern" mushroom, Omphalotus olearius, is roughly similar in stature and color, but can be differentiated from C. lateritius by its true gills with sharply defined edges, and growth on decaying wood (although the wood may be buried in the soil), usually in large overlapping clusters.
One author considers Cantharellus lateritius to likely represent a species complex
, including "all the chanterelles with a completely smooth hymenophore, sweet smell, and clamped hyphae."
, and considered choice by some. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid". In the opinion of McFarland and Mueller, authors of a field guide to edible fungi of Illinois
, compared to the well-known C. cibarius, C. lateritius is "in general ... somewhat disappointing when compared with their delicious relatives".
(specifically, the Almora
hills in Uttar Pradesh
). In the United States, its range extends northward to Michigan
and New England
.
Typically found growing solitary, in groups or in clusters under hardwood
trees, the fungus produces fruit bodies in the summer and autumn. In the New England
area of the United States, mycologist Howard Bigelow has noted it to grow on road shoulders in grass near oak
s; it also has a predilection for growing on sloping creek banks. In Malaysia, it is found growing on the soil in forests, mostly under species of Shorea
(rainforest
trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
).
composition of this species was compared to several other Cantharellus
species, including C. cibarus, C. cibarius var. amythysteus, and C. tabernensis. The carotenoid content between species was "virtually identical", comprising γ-carotene, α-carotene
, and β-carotene
. The only significant difference was that C. lateritius contained a significant quantity of an unidentified carotene that was thought to be a breakdown product
of β-carotene.
Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible
fungus in the Cantharellaceae
family of mushroom
s. A saprobic species, it is found in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and India. The species has a complex taxonomic
history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description
by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies
of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (hymenium
) of the caps
is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis
has revealed the presence of several carotenoid
compounds in the fruit bodies.
The species was first described
in the scientific literature as Thelephora cantharella by the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, based on specimens collected in Ohio
. Elias Magnus Fries
later transferred it to Craterellus
in his 1838 Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. In 1856, Miles Joseph Berkeley
and Moses Ashley Curtis
mentioned the fungus in their analysis of Schweinitz's specimens, but changed the epithet, calling it Craterellus lateritius. The motivation for the name change is unclear; Ronald H. Petersen, in a 1979 publication, suggests that Berkeley "was apparently reluctant to surrender his own name for the organism". Petersen suggests that Berkeley may have foreseen the necessity to avoid giving the species a tautonym
(a situation where both the generic name and specific epithet are identical). However, as Petersen indicates, a future publication renders this explanation dubious: in 1873 Berkeley again referred to the species using his chosen name Craterellus lateritius, and indicated a type location (Alabama
) different than the one mentioned by Schweinitz. Petersen considers Berkeley's name to be a nomen novum
(new name), not a new species, as Berkeley clearly indicated that he thought Craterellus lateritius was synonymous
with Schweinitz's Thelephora cantharella. Normally in these circumstances, Schweinitz's specimen would be considered the type, but Petersen was unable to locate Schweinitz's original specimen, and thus according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, Berkeley's epithet has precedence
as it is the earliest published name that has an associated type specimen.
Another synonym is Trombetta lateritia, used by Otto Kuntze
in his 1891 Revisio Generum Plantarum
. American mycologist Rolf Singer
transferred it to the genus Cantharellus in 1951. The mushroom is commonly known as the "smooth chanterelle". The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth hymenium
.
of the C. lateritius fruit bodies
typically range between 2 to 9 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.5 in) in diameter, with a flattened to somewhat funnel-shaped top surface and a wavy margin. The cap surface is dry, slightly tomentose (covered with a layer of fine hairs), and a deep and bright orange-yellow color, with older specimens fading to more yellow in age; the extreme margins of the cap are a paler yellow, and typically curve downward in young specimens. Fruit bodies can reach a height of 12 cm (4.7 in). The hymenophore (the spore-bearing surface) is initially smooth and without wrinkles, but gradually develops channels or ridges, and what appear to be very shallow gills that are vein-like, and less than 1 mm wide. The color is pale yellow, and is continuous with the surface of the stem. The stem
is rather plump and stout, 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.590551181102362 to 1.8 in) long and 0.5 to 1.7 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.669291338582677 ) thick, more or less cylindrical, tapering downwards towards the base. Internally, the stems are either stuffed (filled with cotton-like mycelia) or solid. Rarely, fruit bodies may be clumped together with stems joined at the base; in these cases there are usually no more than three fused stems. The flesh
is solid to partly hollow (sometimes due to insect larvae), with a pale yellow color; it is 0.5 to 0.9 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.354330708661417 in) thick.
The spores
are smooth, with a roughly ellipsoid shape, and have typical dimensions of 7–7.5 by 4.5–5 µm
. In deposit, such as in a spore print
, the spores are light yellow orange, while under the microscope they are a very pale yellowish. The spore bearing cells—the basidia—are 75–80 by 7–9 µm, 4-5-6-spored, slightly club-shaped, and with a distinctly thickened wall at the base. Clamp connection
s (short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division) are present in the hypha
e of all parts of the fruit body.
and a hollow stem. The poisonous "Jack O'Lantern" mushroom, Omphalotus olearius, is roughly similar in stature and color, but can be differentiated from C. lateritius by its true gills with sharply defined edges, and growth on decaying wood (although the wood may be buried in the soil), usually in large overlapping clusters.
One author considers Cantharellus lateritius to likely represent a species complex
, including "all the chanterelles with a completely smooth hymenophore, sweet smell, and clamped hyphae."
, and considered choice by some. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid". In the opinion of McFarland and Mueller, authors of a field guide to edible fungi of Illinois
, compared to the well-known C. cibarius, C. lateritius is "in general ... somewhat disappointing when compared with their delicious relatives".
(specifically, the Almora
hills in Uttar Pradesh
). In the United States, its range extends northward to Michigan
and New England
.
Typically found growing solitary, in groups or in clusters under hardwood
trees, the fungus produces fruit bodies in the summer and autumn. In the New England
area of the United States, mycologist Howard Bigelow has noted it to grow on road shoulders in grass near oak
s; it also has a predilection for growing on sloping creek banks. In Malaysia, it is found growing on the soil in forests, mostly under species of Shorea
(rainforest
trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
).
composition of this species was compared to several other Cantharellus
species, including C. cibarus, C. cibarius var. amythysteus, and C. tabernensis. The carotenoid content between species was "virtually identical", comprising γ-carotene, α-carotene
, and β-carotene
. The only significant difference was that C. lateritius contained a significant quantity of an unidentified carotene that was thought to be a breakdown product
of β-carotene.
Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible
fungus in the Cantharellaceae
family of mushroom
s. A saprobic species, it is found in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and India. The species has a complex taxonomic
history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description
by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies
of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (hymenium
) of the caps
is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis
has revealed the presence of several carotenoid
compounds in the fruit bodies.
The species was first described
in the scientific literature as Thelephora cantharella by the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, based on specimens collected in Ohio
. Elias Magnus Fries
later transferred it to Craterellus
in his 1838 Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. In 1856, Miles Joseph Berkeley
and Moses Ashley Curtis
mentioned the fungus in their analysis of Schweinitz's specimens, but changed the epithet, calling it Craterellus lateritius. The motivation for the name change is unclear; Ronald H. Petersen, in a 1979 publication, suggests that Berkeley "was apparently reluctant to surrender his own name for the organism". Petersen suggests that Berkeley may have foreseen the necessity to avoid giving the species a tautonym
(a situation where both the generic name and specific epithet are identical). However, as Petersen indicates, a future publication renders this explanation dubious: in 1873 Berkeley again referred to the species using his chosen name Craterellus lateritius, and indicated a type location (Alabama
) different than the one mentioned by Schweinitz. Petersen considers Berkeley's name to be a nomen novum
(new name), not a new species, as Berkeley clearly indicated that he thought Craterellus lateritius was synonymous
with Schweinitz's Thelephora cantharella. Normally in these circumstances, Schweinitz's specimen would be considered the type, but Petersen was unable to locate Schweinitz's original specimen, and thus according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, Berkeley's epithet has precedence
as it is the earliest published name that has an associated type specimen.
Another synonym is Trombetta lateritia, used by Otto Kuntze
in his 1891 Revisio Generum Plantarum
. American mycologist Rolf Singer
transferred it to the genus Cantharellus in 1951. The mushroom is commonly known as the "smooth chanterelle". The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth hymenium
.
of the C. lateritius fruit bodies
typically range between 2 to 9 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.5 in) in diameter, with a flattened to somewhat funnel-shaped top surface and a wavy margin. The cap surface is dry, slightly tomentose (covered with a layer of fine hairs), and a deep and bright orange-yellow color, with older specimens fading to more yellow in age; the extreme margins of the cap are a paler yellow, and typically curve downward in young specimens. Fruit bodies can reach a height of 12 cm (4.7 in). The hymenophore (the spore-bearing surface) is initially smooth and without wrinkles, but gradually develops channels or ridges, and what appear to be very shallow gills that are vein-like, and less than 1 mm wide. The color is pale yellow, and is continuous with the surface of the stem. The stem
is rather plump and stout, 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.590551181102362 to 1.8 in) long and 0.5 to 1.7 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.669291338582677 ) thick, more or less cylindrical, tapering downwards towards the base. Internally, the stems are either stuffed (filled with cotton-like mycelia) or solid. Rarely, fruit bodies may be clumped together with stems joined at the base; in these cases there are usually no more than three fused stems. The flesh
is solid to partly hollow (sometimes due to insect larvae), with a pale yellow color; it is 0.5 to 0.9 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.354330708661417 in) thick.
The spores
are smooth, with a roughly ellipsoid shape, and have typical dimensions of 7–7.5 by 4.5–5 µm
. In deposit, such as in a spore print
, the spores are light yellow orange, while under the microscope they are a very pale yellowish. The spore bearing cells—the basidia—are 75–80 by 7–9 µm, 4-5-6-spored, slightly club-shaped, and with a distinctly thickened wall at the base. Clamp connection
s (short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division) are present in the hypha
e of all parts of the fruit body.
and a hollow stem. The poisonous "Jack O'Lantern" mushroom, Omphalotus olearius, is roughly similar in stature and color, but can be differentiated from C. lateritius by its true gills with sharply defined edges, and growth on decaying wood (although the wood may be buried in the soil), usually in large overlapping clusters.
One author considers Cantharellus lateritius to likely represent a species complex
, including "all the chanterelles with a completely smooth hymenophore, sweet smell, and clamped hyphae."
, and considered choice by some. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid". In the opinion of McFarland and Mueller, authors of a field guide to edible fungi of Illinois
, compared to the well-known C. cibarius, C. lateritius is "in general ... somewhat disappointing when compared with their delicious relatives".
(specifically, the Almora
hills in Uttar Pradesh
). In the United States, its range extends northward to Michigan
and New England
.
Typically found growing solitary, in groups or in clusters under hardwood
trees, the fungus produces fruit bodies in the summer and autumn. In the New England
area of the United States, mycologist Howard Bigelow has noted it to grow on road shoulders in grass near oak
s; it also has a predilection for growing on sloping creek banks. In Malaysia, it is found growing on the soil in forests, mostly under species of Shorea
(rainforest
trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
).
composition of this species was compared to several other Cantharellus
species, including C. cibarus, C. cibarius var. amythysteus, and C. tabernensis. The carotenoid content between species was "virtually identical", comprising γ-carotene, α-carotene
, and β-carotene
. The only significant difference was that C. lateritius contained a significant quantity of an unidentified carotene that was thought to be a breakdown product
of β-carotene.
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
fungus in the Cantharellaceae
Cantharellaceae
The Cantharellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Cantharellales. The family contains the chanterelles and related species, a group of fungi that superficially resemble agarics but have smooth, wrinkled, or gill-like hymenophores...
family of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s. A saprobic species, it is found in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and India. The species has a complex taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (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...
) of the caps
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...
is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
has revealed the presence of several carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
compounds in the fruit bodies.
Taxonomy
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
in the scientific literature as Thelephora cantharella by the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, based on specimens collected in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
later transferred it to 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....
in his 1838 Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. In 1856, Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
and Moses Ashley Curtis
Moses Ashley Curtis
Moses Ashley Curtis was a noted American botanist.Curtis was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and educated at Williams College in Massachusetts. After graduating, he became a tutor for the children of former Governor Edward Bishop Dudley in Wilmington, North Carolina, returning to Massachusetts...
mentioned the fungus in their analysis of Schweinitz's specimens, but changed the epithet, calling it Craterellus lateritius. The motivation for the name change is unclear; Ronald H. Petersen, in a 1979 publication, suggests that Berkeley "was apparently reluctant to surrender his own name for the organism". Petersen suggests that Berkeley may have foreseen the necessity to avoid giving the species a tautonym
Tautonym
-In biology :In biology, tautonym is an informal term to indicate a scientific name of a species in which both parts of the name have the same spelling, for example Bison bison...
(a situation where both the generic name and specific epithet are identical). However, as Petersen indicates, a future publication renders this explanation dubious: in 1873 Berkeley again referred to the species using his chosen name Craterellus lateritius, and indicated a type location (Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
) different than the one mentioned by Schweinitz. Petersen considers Berkeley's name to be a nomen novum
Nomen novum
In biological nomenclature, a nomen novum , new replacement name is a technical term...
(new name), not a new species, as Berkeley clearly indicated that he thought Craterellus lateritius was synonymous
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
with Schweinitz's Thelephora cantharella. Normally in these circumstances, Schweinitz's specimen would be considered the type, but Petersen was unable to locate Schweinitz's original specimen, and thus according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, Berkeley's epithet has precedence
Principle of Priority
thumb|270px|Boa manditraIn zoology, the scientific study of animals, the Principle of Priority is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, defined by Article 23....
as it is the earliest published name that has an associated type specimen.
Another synonym is Trombetta lateritia, used by Otto Kuntze
Otto Kuntze
Otto Carl Ernst Kuntze was a German botanist.-Biography:Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig.An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled Pocket Fauna of Leipzig. Between 1863 and...
in his 1891 Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Revis. Gen. Pl., is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze...
. American mycologist Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
transferred it to the genus Cantharellus in 1951. The mushroom is commonly known as the "smooth chanterelle". The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth 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...
.
Description
The capsPileus (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...
of the C. lateritius fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
typically range between 2 to 9 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.5 in) in diameter, with a flattened to somewhat funnel-shaped top surface and a wavy margin. The cap surface is dry, slightly tomentose (covered with a layer of fine hairs), and a deep and bright orange-yellow color, with older specimens fading to more yellow in age; the extreme margins of the cap are a paler yellow, and typically curve downward in young specimens. Fruit bodies can reach a height of 12 cm (4.7 in). The hymenophore (the spore-bearing surface) is initially smooth and without wrinkles, but gradually develops channels or ridges, and what appear to be very shallow gills that are vein-like, and less than 1 mm wide. The color is pale yellow, and is continuous with the surface of the stem. The stem
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...
is rather plump and stout, 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.590551181102362 to 1.8 in) long and 0.5 to 1.7 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.669291338582677 ) thick, more or less cylindrical, tapering downwards towards the base. Internally, the stems are either stuffed (filled with cotton-like mycelia) or solid. Rarely, fruit bodies may be clumped together with stems joined at the base; in these cases there are usually no more than three fused stems. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is solid to partly hollow (sometimes due to insect larvae), with a pale yellow color; it is 0.5 to 0.9 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.354330708661417 in) thick.
The spores
Basidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
are smooth, with a roughly ellipsoid shape, and have typical dimensions of 7–7.5 by 4.5–5 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. In deposit, such as in a spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
, the spores are light yellow orange, while under the microscope they are a very pale yellowish. The spore bearing cells—the basidia—are 75–80 by 7–9 µm, 4-5-6-spored, slightly club-shaped, and with a distinctly thickened wall at the base. Clamp connection
Clamp connection
A clamp connection is a structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is created to ensure each septum, or segment of hypha separated by crossed walls, receives a set of differing nuclei, which are obtained through mating of hyphae of differing sexual types...
s (short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division) are present in the hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e of all parts of the fruit body.
Similar species
Cantharellus lateritius is pinker than the golden chanterelle (C. cibarius), and has thicker flesh in addition to the smoother hymenial surface. C. odoratus is also similar in appearance, and is distinguished by a thinner fleshTrama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
and a hollow stem. The poisonous "Jack O'Lantern" mushroom, Omphalotus olearius, is roughly similar in stature and color, but can be differentiated from C. lateritius by its true gills with sharply defined edges, and growth on decaying wood (although the wood may be buried in the soil), usually in large overlapping clusters.
One author considers Cantharellus lateritius to likely represent a species complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
, including "all the chanterelles with a completely smooth hymenophore, sweet smell, and clamped hyphae."
Edibility
Like all species in the genus Cantharellus, C. lateritius is edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, and considered choice by some. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid". In the opinion of McFarland and Mueller, authors of a field guide to edible fungi of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, compared to the well-known C. cibarius, C. lateritius is "in general ... somewhat disappointing when compared with their delicious relatives".
Distribution and habitat
Cantharellus lateritius is distributed in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
(specifically, the Almora
Almora
Almora is a municipal board, a cantonment town in the Almora district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Almora was founded in 1568.It is a town bustling with activity and a rich cultural heritage and history. It is considered the cultural heart of the Kumaon region of...
hills in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
). In the United States, its range extends northward to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Typically found growing solitary, in groups or in clusters under hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
trees, the fungus produces fruit bodies in the summer and autumn. In the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area of the United States, mycologist Howard Bigelow has noted it to grow on road shoulders in grass near oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s; it also has a predilection for growing on sloping creek banks. In Malaysia, it is found growing on the soil in forests, mostly under species of Shorea
Shorea
Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...
(rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
).
Bioactive compounds
In a 1998 study, the carotenoidCarotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
composition of this species was compared to several other 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...
species, including C. cibarus, C. cibarius var. amythysteus, and C. tabernensis. The carotenoid content between species was "virtually identical", comprising γ-carotene, α-carotene
Alpha-carotene
α-Carotene is a form of carotene with a β-ring at one end and an ε-ring at the other. It is the second most common form of carotene.-Human physiology:...
, and β-carotene
Beta-carotene
β-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is an organic compound and chemically is classified as a hydrocarbon and specifically as a terpenoid , reflecting its derivation from isoprene units...
. The only significant difference was that C. lateritius contained a significant quantity of an unidentified carotene that was thought to be a breakdown product
Chemical decomposition
Chemical decomposition, analysis or breakdown is the separation of a chemical compound into elements or simpler compounds. It is sometimes defined as the exact opposite of a chemical synthesis. Chemical decomposition is often an undesired chemical reaction...
of β-carotene.
Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
fungus in the Cantharellaceae
Cantharellaceae
The Cantharellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Cantharellales. The family contains the chanterelles and related species, a group of fungi that superficially resemble agarics but have smooth, wrinkled, or gill-like hymenophores...
family of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s. A saprobic species, it is found in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and India. The species has a complex taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (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...
) of the caps
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...
is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
has revealed the presence of several carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
compounds in the fruit bodies.
Taxonomy
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
in the scientific literature as Thelephora cantharella by the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, based on specimens collected in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
later transferred it to 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....
in his 1838 Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. In 1856, Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
and Moses Ashley Curtis
Moses Ashley Curtis
Moses Ashley Curtis was a noted American botanist.Curtis was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and educated at Williams College in Massachusetts. After graduating, he became a tutor for the children of former Governor Edward Bishop Dudley in Wilmington, North Carolina, returning to Massachusetts...
mentioned the fungus in their analysis of Schweinitz's specimens, but changed the epithet, calling it Craterellus lateritius. The motivation for the name change is unclear; Ronald H. Petersen, in a 1979 publication, suggests that Berkeley "was apparently reluctant to surrender his own name for the organism". Petersen suggests that Berkeley may have foreseen the necessity to avoid giving the species a tautonym
Tautonym
-In biology :In biology, tautonym is an informal term to indicate a scientific name of a species in which both parts of the name have the same spelling, for example Bison bison...
(a situation where both the generic name and specific epithet are identical). However, as Petersen indicates, a future publication renders this explanation dubious: in 1873 Berkeley again referred to the species using his chosen name Craterellus lateritius, and indicated a type location (Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
) different than the one mentioned by Schweinitz. Petersen considers Berkeley's name to be a nomen novum
Nomen novum
In biological nomenclature, a nomen novum , new replacement name is a technical term...
(new name), not a new species, as Berkeley clearly indicated that he thought Craterellus lateritius was synonymous
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
with Schweinitz's Thelephora cantharella. Normally in these circumstances, Schweinitz's specimen would be considered the type, but Petersen was unable to locate Schweinitz's original specimen, and thus according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, Berkeley's epithet has precedence
Principle of Priority
thumb|270px|Boa manditraIn zoology, the scientific study of animals, the Principle of Priority is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, defined by Article 23....
as it is the earliest published name that has an associated type specimen.
Another synonym is Trombetta lateritia, used by Otto Kuntze
Otto Kuntze
Otto Carl Ernst Kuntze was a German botanist.-Biography:Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig.An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled Pocket Fauna of Leipzig. Between 1863 and...
in his 1891 Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Revis. Gen. Pl., is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze...
. American mycologist Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
transferred it to the genus Cantharellus in 1951. The mushroom is commonly known as the "smooth chanterelle". The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth 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...
.
Description
The capsPileus (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...
of the C. lateritius fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
typically range between 2 to 9 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.5 in) in diameter, with a flattened to somewhat funnel-shaped top surface and a wavy margin. The cap surface is dry, slightly tomentose (covered with a layer of fine hairs), and a deep and bright orange-yellow color, with older specimens fading to more yellow in age; the extreme margins of the cap are a paler yellow, and typically curve downward in young specimens. Fruit bodies can reach a height of 12 cm (4.7 in). The hymenophore (the spore-bearing surface) is initially smooth and without wrinkles, but gradually develops channels or ridges, and what appear to be very shallow gills that are vein-like, and less than 1 mm wide. The color is pale yellow, and is continuous with the surface of the stem. The stem
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...
is rather plump and stout, 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.590551181102362 to 1.8 in) long and 0.5 to 1.7 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.669291338582677 ) thick, more or less cylindrical, tapering downwards towards the base. Internally, the stems are either stuffed (filled with cotton-like mycelia) or solid. Rarely, fruit bodies may be clumped together with stems joined at the base; in these cases there are usually no more than three fused stems. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is solid to partly hollow (sometimes due to insect larvae), with a pale yellow color; it is 0.5 to 0.9 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.354330708661417 in) thick.
The spores
Basidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
are smooth, with a roughly ellipsoid shape, and have typical dimensions of 7–7.5 by 4.5–5 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. In deposit, such as in a spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
, the spores are light yellow orange, while under the microscope they are a very pale yellowish. The spore bearing cells—the basidia—are 75–80 by 7–9 µm, 4-5-6-spored, slightly club-shaped, and with a distinctly thickened wall at the base. Clamp connection
Clamp connection
A clamp connection is a structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is created to ensure each septum, or segment of hypha separated by crossed walls, receives a set of differing nuclei, which are obtained through mating of hyphae of differing sexual types...
s (short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division) are present in the hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e of all parts of the fruit body.
Similar species
Cantharellus lateritius is pinker than the golden chanterelle (C. cibarius), and has thicker flesh in addition to the smoother hymenial surface. C. odoratus is also similar in appearance, and is distinguished by a thinner fleshTrama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
and a hollow stem. The poisonous "Jack O'Lantern" mushroom, Omphalotus olearius, is roughly similar in stature and color, but can be differentiated from C. lateritius by its true gills with sharply defined edges, and growth on decaying wood (although the wood may be buried in the soil), usually in large overlapping clusters.
One author considers Cantharellus lateritius to likely represent a species complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
, including "all the chanterelles with a completely smooth hymenophore, sweet smell, and clamped hyphae."
Edibility
Like all species in the genus Cantharellus, C. lateritius is edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, and considered choice by some. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid". In the opinion of McFarland and Mueller, authors of a field guide to edible fungi of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, compared to the well-known C. cibarius, C. lateritius is "in general ... somewhat disappointing when compared with their delicious relatives".
Distribution and habitat
Cantharellus lateritius is distributed in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
(specifically, the Almora
Almora
Almora is a municipal board, a cantonment town in the Almora district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Almora was founded in 1568.It is a town bustling with activity and a rich cultural heritage and history. It is considered the cultural heart of the Kumaon region of...
hills in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
). In the United States, its range extends northward to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Typically found growing solitary, in groups or in clusters under hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
trees, the fungus produces fruit bodies in the summer and autumn. In the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area of the United States, mycologist Howard Bigelow has noted it to grow on road shoulders in grass near oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s; it also has a predilection for growing on sloping creek banks. In Malaysia, it is found growing on the soil in forests, mostly under species of Shorea
Shorea
Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...
(rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
).
Bioactive compounds
In a 1998 study, the carotenoidCarotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
composition of this species was compared to several other 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...
species, including C. cibarus, C. cibarius var. amythysteus, and C. tabernensis. The carotenoid content between species was "virtually identical", comprising γ-carotene, α-carotene
Alpha-carotene
α-Carotene is a form of carotene with a β-ring at one end and an ε-ring at the other. It is the second most common form of carotene.-Human physiology:...
, and β-carotene
Beta-carotene
β-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is an organic compound and chemically is classified as a hydrocarbon and specifically as a terpenoid , reflecting its derivation from isoprene units...
. The only significant difference was that C. lateritius contained a significant quantity of an unidentified carotene that was thought to be a breakdown product
Chemical decomposition
Chemical decomposition, analysis or breakdown is the separation of a chemical compound into elements or simpler compounds. It is sometimes defined as the exact opposite of a chemical synthesis. Chemical decomposition is often an undesired chemical reaction...
of β-carotene.
Cantharellus lateritius, commonly known as the smooth chanterelle, is a species of edible
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
fungus in the Cantharellaceae
Cantharellaceae
The Cantharellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Cantharellales. The family contains the chanterelles and related species, a group of fungi that superficially resemble agarics but have smooth, wrinkled, or gill-like hymenophores...
family of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s. A saprobic species, it is found in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and India. The species has a complex taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
history, and has undergone several name changes since its first description
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
by American mycologist Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822. The fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
of the fungus are brightly colored yellow to orange, and usually highly conspicuous against the soil in which they are found. At maturity, the mushroom resembles a filled funnel with the spore-bearing surface along the sloping outer sides. The texture of the fertile undersurface (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...
) of the caps
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...
is a distinguishing characteristic of the species: unlike the well-known golden chanterelle, the hymenium of C. lateritius is much smoother. Chemical analysis
Analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...
has revealed the presence of several carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
compounds in the fruit bodies.
Taxonomy
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
in the scientific literature as Thelephora cantharella by the American Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, based on specimens collected in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
later transferred it to 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....
in his 1838 Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. In 1856, Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
and Moses Ashley Curtis
Moses Ashley Curtis
Moses Ashley Curtis was a noted American botanist.Curtis was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and educated at Williams College in Massachusetts. After graduating, he became a tutor for the children of former Governor Edward Bishop Dudley in Wilmington, North Carolina, returning to Massachusetts...
mentioned the fungus in their analysis of Schweinitz's specimens, but changed the epithet, calling it Craterellus lateritius. The motivation for the name change is unclear; Ronald H. Petersen, in a 1979 publication, suggests that Berkeley "was apparently reluctant to surrender his own name for the organism". Petersen suggests that Berkeley may have foreseen the necessity to avoid giving the species a tautonym
Tautonym
-In biology :In biology, tautonym is an informal term to indicate a scientific name of a species in which both parts of the name have the same spelling, for example Bison bison...
(a situation where both the generic name and specific epithet are identical). However, as Petersen indicates, a future publication renders this explanation dubious: in 1873 Berkeley again referred to the species using his chosen name Craterellus lateritius, and indicated a type location (Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
) different than the one mentioned by Schweinitz. Petersen considers Berkeley's name to be a nomen novum
Nomen novum
In biological nomenclature, a nomen novum , new replacement name is a technical term...
(new name), not a new species, as Berkeley clearly indicated that he thought Craterellus lateritius was synonymous
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
with Schweinitz's Thelephora cantharella. Normally in these circumstances, Schweinitz's specimen would be considered the type, but Petersen was unable to locate Schweinitz's original specimen, and thus according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, Berkeley's epithet has precedence
Principle of Priority
thumb|270px|Boa manditraIn zoology, the scientific study of animals, the Principle of Priority is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, defined by Article 23....
as it is the earliest published name that has an associated type specimen.
Another synonym is Trombetta lateritia, used by Otto Kuntze
Otto Kuntze
Otto Carl Ernst Kuntze was a German botanist.-Biography:Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig.An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled Pocket Fauna of Leipzig. Between 1863 and...
in his 1891 Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum
Revisio Generum Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Revis. Gen. Pl., is a botanic treatise by Otto Kuntze...
. American mycologist Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
transferred it to the genus Cantharellus in 1951. The mushroom is commonly known as the "smooth chanterelle". The specific name lateritius means "bricklike", and refers to the smooth 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...
.
Description
The capsPileus (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...
of the C. lateritius fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
typically range between 2 to 9 cm (0.78740157480315 to 3.5 in) in diameter, with a flattened to somewhat funnel-shaped top surface and a wavy margin. The cap surface is dry, slightly tomentose (covered with a layer of fine hairs), and a deep and bright orange-yellow color, with older specimens fading to more yellow in age; the extreme margins of the cap are a paler yellow, and typically curve downward in young specimens. Fruit bodies can reach a height of 12 cm (4.7 in). The hymenophore (the spore-bearing surface) is initially smooth and without wrinkles, but gradually develops channels or ridges, and what appear to be very shallow gills that are vein-like, and less than 1 mm wide. The color is pale yellow, and is continuous with the surface of the stem. The stem
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...
is rather plump and stout, 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.590551181102362 to 1.8 in) long and 0.5 to 1.7 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.669291338582677 ) thick, more or less cylindrical, tapering downwards towards the base. Internally, the stems are either stuffed (filled with cotton-like mycelia) or solid. Rarely, fruit bodies may be clumped together with stems joined at the base; in these cases there are usually no more than three fused stems. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is solid to partly hollow (sometimes due to insect larvae), with a pale yellow color; it is 0.5 to 0.9 cm (0.196850393700787 to 0.354330708661417 in) thick.
The spores
Basidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
are smooth, with a roughly ellipsoid shape, and have typical dimensions of 7–7.5 by 4.5–5 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. In deposit, such as in a spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
, the spores are light yellow orange, while under the microscope they are a very pale yellowish. The spore bearing cells—the basidia—are 75–80 by 7–9 µm, 4-5-6-spored, slightly club-shaped, and with a distinctly thickened wall at the base. Clamp connection
Clamp connection
A clamp connection is a structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is created to ensure each septum, or segment of hypha separated by crossed walls, receives a set of differing nuclei, which are obtained through mating of hyphae of differing sexual types...
s (short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division) are present in the hypha
Hypha
A hypha is a long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium; yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.-Structure:A hypha consists of one or...
e of all parts of the fruit body.
Similar species
Cantharellus lateritius is pinker than the golden chanterelle (C. cibarius), and has thicker flesh in addition to the smoother hymenial surface. C. odoratus is also similar in appearance, and is distinguished by a thinner fleshTrama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
and a hollow stem. The poisonous "Jack O'Lantern" mushroom, Omphalotus olearius, is roughly similar in stature and color, but can be differentiated from C. lateritius by its true gills with sharply defined edges, and growth on decaying wood (although the wood may be buried in the soil), usually in large overlapping clusters.
One author considers Cantharellus lateritius to likely represent a species complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
, including "all the chanterelles with a completely smooth hymenophore, sweet smell, and clamped hyphae."
Edibility
Like all species in the genus Cantharellus, C. lateritius is edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, and considered choice by some. The odor resembles apricots, and the taste is mild, or "moderately to faintly acrid". In the opinion of McFarland and Mueller, authors of a field guide to edible fungi of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, compared to the well-known C. cibarius, C. lateritius is "in general ... somewhat disappointing when compared with their delicious relatives".
Distribution and habitat
Cantharellus lateritius is distributed in North America, Africa, Malaysia, and the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
(specifically, the Almora
Almora
Almora is a municipal board, a cantonment town in the Almora district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Almora was founded in 1568.It is a town bustling with activity and a rich cultural heritage and history. It is considered the cultural heart of the Kumaon region of...
hills in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
). In the United States, its range extends northward to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Typically found growing solitary, in groups or in clusters under hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
trees, the fungus produces fruit bodies in the summer and autumn. In the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area of the United States, mycologist Howard Bigelow has noted it to grow on road shoulders in grass near oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s; it also has a predilection for growing on sloping creek banks. In Malaysia, it is found growing on the soil in forests, mostly under species of Shorea
Shorea
Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...
(rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
).
Bioactive compounds
In a 1998 study, the carotenoidCarotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
composition of this species was compared to several other 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...
species, including C. cibarus, C. cibarius var. amythysteus, and C. tabernensis. The carotenoid content between species was "virtually identical", comprising γ-carotene, α-carotene
Alpha-carotene
α-Carotene is a form of carotene with a β-ring at one end and an ε-ring at the other. It is the second most common form of carotene.-Human physiology:...
, and β-carotene
Beta-carotene
β-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is an organic compound and chemically is classified as a hydrocarbon and specifically as a terpenoid , reflecting its derivation from isoprene units...
. The only significant difference was that C. lateritius contained a significant quantity of an unidentified carotene that was thought to be a breakdown product
Chemical decomposition
Chemical decomposition, analysis or breakdown is the separation of a chemical compound into elements or simpler compounds. It is sometimes defined as the exact opposite of a chemical synthesis. Chemical decomposition is often an undesired chemical reaction...
of β-carotene.