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Mushrooms by colour · 18 species

Yellow mushrooms

Some yellow mushrooms are edible, but yellow is not a safety sign. The best-known yellow mushroom is the chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius), which has poisonous lookalikes such as jack-o'-lantern mushrooms and the deadly fool's webcap.

Yellow mushrooms stand out on the forest floor. The chanterelle (sarı horozmantarı in Turkish) is yellow to deep yellow, convex then funnel-shaped with a wavy edge. The golden oyster mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) is bright yellow to golden brown with a velvety, dry cap.

Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus, kükürt mantarı) grows as tiers of fan-shaped shelves on trunks, sulphur yellow to bright orange. Enoki is familiar as thin white supermarket clusters, but in the wild its cap is ochre-yellow to yellow-brown and sticky when wet.

Colour alone never tells you whether a mushroom is edible: the same colour includes both edible and deadly species. To identify a yellow mushroom, look at what is under the cap, the stem and where it grows, all together, and leave the final call to an expert.

Yellow mushrooms: edible or poisonous, and when?

MushroomStatusSeason
Cauliflower mushroomSparassis crispaEdible speciesAug–Nov
ChanterelleCantharellus cibariusEdible speciesJun–Nov
Chicken of the woodsLaetiporus sulphureusEdible speciesMay–Nov
Common bird’s nest fungusCrucibulum laeveInedibleOct–Mar, May
Common earthballScleroderma citrinumPoisonousMar, Aug–Nov
EnokiFlammulina filiformisEdible species
False death capAmanita citrinaInedibleAug–Dec
Glistening inkcapCoprinellus micaceusInedibleMar–Jun, Oct–Nov
Golden oyster mushroomPleurotus citrinopileatusEdible species
Hairy curtain crustStereum hirsutumInedibleDec–May, Jul–Oct
Hedgehog mushroomHydnum repandumEdible speciesAug–Jan
Honey fungusArmillaria melleaEdible speciesSep–Jan
MorelMorchella esculentaEdible speciesMar–May
Plums and custardTricholomopsis rutilansInedibleOct–Jan
Sulphur tuftHypholoma fascicularePoisonousFeb–Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct–Dec
Yellow brainTremella mesentericaInedibleOct–May
Yellow coral fungusRamaria flavaInedibleJul–Nov
Yellow foot chanterelleCraterellus lutescensEdible speciesSep–Feb

The status column is a guide and is not enough to decide to eat a mushroom. Do not eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has seen it in person. Edible mushrooms · Poisonous mushrooms

Poisonous lookalikes of the same colour

Known poisonous lookalikes of the chanterelle include jack-o'-lantern mushrooms; the false chanterelle is not considered edible. The orange-brown fool's webcap (Cortinarius orellanus) is also confused with chanterelles and can cause lasting kidney damage.

Chanterelles have forked ridges running down the stem instead of true gills; most lookalikes have true gills. This is a clue, not proof.

If poisoning is suspected in Türkiye, call 112 or the National Poison Information Centre (114) straight away, and keep a piece of the mushroom if you can.

Edible yellow species

Chanterelle, golden oyster, chicken of the woods and enoki are edible species, but none should be eaten without a firm expert identification. Golden oyster and enoki are mostly cultivated; shop-bought mushrooms do not carry the same risk as wild-picked ones.

Why colour misleads

Yellow shades change with age, moisture and light. Chicken of the woods fades with age, enoki is white when cultivated and ochre-yellow in the wild, and even the fly agaric's cap can be orange-yellow. A colour list is a starting point, not an identification tool.

When and where do yellow mushrooms grow?

Chanterelles appear from June to November in broadleaf woods, mostly under oak, chestnut and hazel on mossy, damp ground. Chicken of the woods forms shelves on dead or old broadleaf trees from May to November; it grows from the trunk, not the soil.

Morels are a spring mushroom, found from March to May, and are never eaten raw. Golden oyster and enoki are mostly cultivated all year round, so yellow mushrooms in the shops are usually these. The mushroom calendar gives the month-by-month detail.

Frequently asked questions

Are yellow mushrooms edible?

Some are: chanterelle, golden oyster, chicken of the woods and enoki. But poisonous species also come in yellow; never eat a wild mushroom without expert identification.

What is the common yellow mushroom called?

In Türkiye, 'sarı mantar' usually means the chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). Golden oyster and chicken of the woods are yellow too.

How do you identify a chanterelle?

It is yellow to deep yellow, funnel-shaped with a wavy edge, and has forked ridges running down the stem. Because poisonous lookalikes exist, leave the identification to an expert.

What is the yellow mushroom growing on a tree?

Tiers of yellow-orange shelves on a trunk are often chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). Other yellow species also grow on wood, so a firm identification is needed.

Is enoki yellow or white?

Cultivated enoki is tiny and white. Wild enoki has an ochre-yellow to yellow-brown cap that is sticky when wet.

Can yellow mushrooms be poisonous?

Yes. Jack-o'-lantern mushrooms are poisonous chanterelle lookalikes. If poisoning is suspected in Türkiye, call 112 or the National Poison Information Centre (114) straight away, and keep a piece of the mushroom if you can.

What are yellow-orange mushrooms?

Yellow-orange mushrooms include the chanterelle, chicken of the woods and the saffron milk cap, but also the poisonous jack-o'-lantern. We check where and how the mushroom grows before eating it.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN): Cantharellus cibarius en.wikipedia.org
  2. Vikipedi (TR): Cantharellus cibarius tr.wikipedia.org
  3. First Nature: Cantharellus cibarius first-nature.com
All sources (13)
  1. First Nature: Omphalotus olearius first-nature.com
  2. First Nature: Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca first-nature.com
  3. Wikipedia (EN): Pleurotus citrinopileatus en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia (EN): Laetiporus sulphureus en.wikipedia.org
  5. Vikipedi (TR): Kükürt mantarı tr.wikipedia.org
  6. First Nature: Laetiporus sulphureus first-nature.com
  7. Wikipedia (EN): Flammulina filiformis en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia (EN): Flammulina velutipes en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia (EN): Cortinarius orellanus en.wikipedia.org
  10. First Nature: Cortinarius orellanus first-nature.com

Other colours

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial teamReport a correction