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Western Jack-o'-lantern
A poisonous, bioluminescent orange-to-olive gilled mushroom that grows in clusters on oak and eucalyptus stumps and buried roots on the Pacific coast of North America. It replaces the eastern O. illudens in California and is the jack-o'-lantern most often confused there with golden chanterelles.
Poisonous but not deadly. Illudin S causes severe cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Golden chanterelles (e.g. Cantharellus californicus) have blunt ridges rather than true gills, lack olive tones and grow from soil rather than wood.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
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