Fruiting bodies of
C. formosus range from wide,'''' with
cap colors varying depending on light levels and weather. In dry weather, the cap is medium orange yellow to light yellow brown, but wet weather may brighten the cap to brilliant to soft orange yellow. In low light conditions, caps may not develop the yellow pigmentation, resulting in salmon to rosy buff colors. The
false gills may be yellow, salmon, buff, or even whitish depending on conditions, but are usually paler than the cap. The
stem is colored similarly to the cap, and is either equal-width or tapering downwards. The spore print is a yellowish white color.
Similar species Several other species of chanterelle may be found in western North America: •
C. californicus – large size, associated with oaks in California •
C. cascadensis – bright yellow fading to white in center of cap, may have bulbous base of stem •
C. cibarius var.
roseocanus – brilliant orange-yellow color without pinkish hues, false gills not paler than cap •
C. subalbidus – whitish overall color, tend to grow larger and stouter than
C. formosus Additionally,
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca,
Chroogomphus tomentosus, and species in the genera
Craterellus,
Gomphus (namely
G. kauffmanii),
Turbinellus (particularly
Turbinellus floccosus, previously known as
Gomphus floccosus, which shares the chanterelle's veiny folds but not its edibility),
Omphalotus (particularly the poisonous
O. olivascens in California), and
Polyozellus may have a somewhat similar appearance to
C. formosus. ==Distribution and habitat==