chanterelles

Australian Smooth Chanterelle

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Australian Smooth Chanterelle

Australian Smooth Chanterelle

These Australian smooth chanterelles are found in NENSW and SEQLD at least tho may be more widespread, they are not common but can fruit heavily where they do grow. They seem to like intact eucalypt forest or the euc rain forest cross overs that we get in this area. I find them in April and May after good rain. They seem to fruit in the same spots year after year. As far as I can tell its an undescribed species or group that is either in the Cantharellus or Gloeocantharellus genus. A couple of people have had dna done and the results did not find a match, here is a voucher number for the sample lodged by the Victoria hebarium KP311393. No one that I have asked in the Aussie mushroom community has much info on them. QMS has got a couple tentative IDs Cantharellus ochraceoravus based on this paper on Australian chants which is just a review of the literature. QMS also calls them Gloeocantharellus ‘soloris’ I’m not sure what they base this on.

Australian Smooth Chanterelle

Australian Smooth Chanterelle

Their folds become more evident as they mature but never become the false gills of a regular chant, they are also massive in comparison to the other chant species I have seen, the largest one I found weighed about 130g. Their flesh is solid and firm. They often branch as you can see in the photo above. I have eaten them a couple times, they have great texture but not much in the way of flavor. Dry frying them over medium heat is a good technique to maximize flavour. I have also pickled them after dry frying, I found them very tasty done this way. I would love to share more about this species but this is about all I have, maybe just one more photo! If you want to read more about our Aussie chants please take a look at my other articles that can be found via this list of edibles.

Australian Smooth Chanterelle

Australian Smooth Chanterelle

 

Maybe Craterellus aff. australis??

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Australian Craterellus aff. australis

Australian Craterellus aff. australis

These Australian  Craterellus aff. australis are about as elusive as they get. It may be because their brown cap blends into the surroundings or that they are very small or that I’m just not looking in the right places. The other day I finally found a way to get to a creek line that I’ve been eyeing off for a few years now. It did not disappoint with some beautiful mossy forest and rocky waterfalls, what I would classify as a mushroomy spot. I found a few hedgehogs and some pink chants but had to leave without a proper look around. I got back there with a distinct gut feeling that the brown craterellus were about and sure enough I found them. Three of them to be precise.

Australian Cantharellus ‘brunneus’

Australian Craterellus aff. australis

I have found something similar one time before but it was up north and as I sleuth about trying to figure out what I have I’m becoming a bit less sure that they are the Cantharellus ‘brunneus’ from up north and I’m more thinking they are a creterellus sp possibly craterellus australis, this is mostly because they have a hollow stem and look slightly different to the ‘brunneus’ that others have found. Craterellus australis has a very limited presence on the interweb so its hard to compare them but I think the hollow stem and clumping rules out cantharellus. Perhaps I can get the spores examined under a microscope. The only decent reference I can find on craterellus australis is here. (in book two). The also make a brief appearance in the Tassie fungi book with the photo looking nothing like these. Another titbit of information that I will try to expend on: C. australis has been synonymized with C. cinereus.

Australian Craterellus aff. australis

Australian Craterellus aff. australis

I went back to check my spot and further down stream we found a good patch of about 30 of them growing in the root system of a small watergum in sandy soil a few meters from the creek. This time they were forming tight clumps with a couple even slightly fussed at the base. The Mature ones are very conical with hollow stems.  I have decided not to eat this second collection and do a more careful description and dry them out, hopefully I can at least get the spores examined under a microscope.

Craterellus aff. australis

A two photo stack showing more detail of Craterellus aff. australis

Update: I’ve now found these, well a single one at a new location about 80 km south of the first location. They look to me like the same species but I am not completely sure. Would have been good to find a few more but what can you do. Photo below.

craterellus sp Yarriabini

Australian Chanterelles: The Martin Martini Trifecta.

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Australian smooth chanterelles, center Cantharellus concinnus, right Cantharellus viscosus

Martins trifecta: Left Australian smooth chanterelles, center Cantharellus concinnus, right Cantharellus viscosus

There are plenty of people around that like to forage mushrooms but only some have the ability to really find the goods and Martin is one of those rare people. A few years ago he lit up the mushroom pages with baskets full of chanterelles. In Australia this is not a common occurrence. Martins finds inspired awe and not just a little mushroom envy from the Aussie foraging community. This season Martin was kind enough to show me one of his spots where I picked the yellow and smooth chants for the first time. Martin gave me a few tips and a new perspective on what to look for and where to look for Australian chanterelles. Back home I put in the hours and after almost no success I finally found a tiny shriveled yellow chant. This pathetic dried out mushroom lead me to find one of the best mushroom patches I’ve ever come across, a patch with all three varieties in abundance!

Left cantharellus concinnus, center Australian smooth chanterelles, right cantharellus viscosus

Left cantharellus concinnus, center Australian smooth chanterelles, right cantharellus viscosus

FoQ lists five chant species but there are a few more species like these beauties from FNQ. There are also Gloeocantharellus species and even some false chanterelles maybe Gomphus sp. The only recent reference on Australian Cantharellus is only confident to list three species of the 14 type specimens looked at in the paper and says “In Australia the genus cantharellus is without doubt not restricted to these three species. More field studies are needed to document the diversity of the systematically and bio-geographically very interesting Australian mycoflora”. For example these Big fat smooth chanterelles are yet to be described in 2019! Any taxonomists out there wanting to get there teeth into something?

The big double smooth chant on the left weighed 135g! Bottom left are the yellow viscosus and bottom right are the orange concinnus.

The big double smooth chant on the left weighed 135g! Bottom left are the yellow viscosus and bottom right are the orange concinnus.

I guess the big question with these chants is how do they taste? The answer is probably somewhat disappointing at least with these three species. I find their taste pretty bland and very similar, the yellows and smooths have the best texture but the concinnus have the best flavour. I got a tip to dry fry them until well coloured then added a bit of olive oil and salt and they came out tasting pretty good. Unfortunately they are not as tasty as the northern hemispheres varieties. I also had a go at dry frying then pickling the large smooth chants and they also came out pretty good. Word is the yellow chants from FNQ are the best tasting ones we have. If I ever try some I will be sure to let you know. Martin is still finding the goods and not limiting himself to just chants, he regularly posts photos of his finds on Australian wild Mushroom Hunters.