Cantharellus subalbidus, the white 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...

 and the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

 region of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. 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 similar in appearance to other chanterelles except for its cream to white color and orange bruising.

C. subalbidus may form a mycorrhizal association

Mycorrhiza

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

 with species of pine, hemlock

Tsuga

Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....

, Douglas-fir, and Pacific madrone. C. subalbidus has been found to be more common in old-growth forests than in younger forests.

Similar species

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

• C. californicus
  Cantharellus californicus
  Cantharellus californicus, sometimes called the mud puppy or oak chanterelle, is a fungus native to California, USA. It is a member of the genus Cantharellus along with other popular edible chanterelles. It is generally similar in appearance to C. cibarius and C...
  
  
• 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...
  
  
• C. cibarius var. roseocanus
• 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...
  
  

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. subalbidus.