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    Ashen chanterelle

    Craterellus cinereus (Pers.) Pers. · Hydnaceae

    Also: Black chanterelle

    ✓ EdibleRisk of confusion: low

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Ashen chanterelle
    Photo: Dave W (Dave W), Mushroom Observer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The ashen chanterelle is a small, funnel-shaped, grey to blackish-brown mushroom with forked ridges on the underside. It grows in tufts in deciduous woods and is considered a good edible mushroom. Because it is rare, it deserves protection.

    SeasonSeptember to October
    Spore printwhite to pale yellowish
    FamilyHydnaceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 1 to 6 cm wide with a smooth margin, at first domed and navelled, soon funnel-shaped and open right down into the stem. The upper side is blackish brown to ash grey, finely silky-felty, hairy to slightly scaly in the centre.
    2. Underside. The underside bears ridges up to 1 mm wide that are distinctly forked and joined by cross-veins. They are bluish grey to ash grey and covered with a white bloom.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is 3 to 7 cm long, 2 to 8 mm thick, bald and tapered downwards. It is first grey-brown, then soot grey, and has no yellow tones. There is no ring and no volva.
    4. Smell and taste. Smell and taste are pleasant.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is pale grey-brownish, blackish with age, membranously thin and brittle.

    Lookalikes

    The ashen chanterelle looks like a small horn of plenty, but has distinct, forked grey ridges on the underside instead of a smooth surface. All similar mushrooms are edible; no poisonous look-alikes are known.

    Side by side

    Ashen chanterelleHorn of plentyWinter chanterelleCraterellus sinuosus
    Capblackish brown to ash grey, 1 to 6 cm, funnel-shapedblackish brown to grey-black, funnel-shapedbrown to yellow-brown, funnel-shapedloam to sepia brown, margin frilly and wavy
    Undersideforked, cross-veined, ash-grey ridgessmooth to slightly wrinkled, greyish, no ridgesgrey-yellowish, forked ridgesbeige to beige-brown, smooth when young, later veined
    Stemsoot grey, no yellow tones, 3 to 7 cmhollow, merging into the capyellow to yellow-brown, hollowsand yellow to brown-beige, grooved lengthways
    Fleshthin, membranous, brittlethin, brittlethin, toughthin, hollow
    EdibilityEdibleedibleedibleedible

    Habitat & Season

    Rather base-rich, shallow soils in beech, beech-fir and hornbeam-oak woods. No reliable information.

    Host trees

    Mainly European beech, also other deciduous trees, more rarely conifers.

    Season

    possible good main season

    Grows in tufts and likes to grow among horns of plenty.

    Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

    There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

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    Chance near you

    How good are the chances of finding this species where you are right now? We calculate it from weather, soil moisture, altitude and forest at your location.

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    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Only eat mushrooms you have identified beyond doubt, and always cook them thoroughly.

    Advice for your country

    United Kingdom

    Poison centre:

    NHS 111 (England)111

    Emergency: 999 · 112

    Ireland

    Poison centre:

    National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

    Emergency: 112 · 999

    Germany

    Poison centre:

    Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

    Emergency: 112

    Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

    Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

    Austria

    Poison centre:

    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

    Emergency: 112 · 144

    Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

    Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

    Conservation and collecting rules

    Because it is rare, it deserves protection. The German Mycological Society chose it as Mushroom of the Year 2012.

    In the kitchen

    Fried or in sauces. The mushrooms are thin-fleshed and need only short preparation, but must be cooked right through. Cook for at least 15 minutes.

    No reliable information on drying.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is the ashen chanterelle edible?

    Yes, it is considered a good edible mushroom. Because it is rare, it deserves protection.

    How do you recognise the ashen chanterelle?

    By the small, funnel-shaped, grey to blackish-brown fruiting body with forked grey ridges on the underside and the grey stem without yellow tones.

    How does it differ from the horn of plenty?

    The horn of plenty has a smooth to at most slightly wrinkled underside, the ashen chanterelle distinct, forked ridges.

    When does the ashen chanterelle grow?

    From September to October, in tufts in deciduous woods, often among horns of plenty.

    Related species

    Mushroom trainer: test yourself

    Sources

    Photo credits

    No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.

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