Trumpet mushrooms
The forests of the Pacific Northwest are home to two edible species of trumpet mushroom: the black trumpet and the yellowfoot.
Trumpet mushrooms are native mushrooms from the genus Craterellus, which is closely related to chanterelle mushrooms in the genus Cantharellus (both genera are in the Cantharellaceae family). Trumpet mushrooms are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they grow in symbiotic relationships with tree roots. The part we eat is the fruiting body of the fungus, which grows underground.
Trumpet mushrooms, like chanterelles, are characterized by their lack of separate cap and stipe (stalk) and lack of gills. Unlike chanterelles, they can be dried easily.
Species
Trumpet mushrooms
Black trumpet mushroom (Craterellus calicornucopioides)
Yellowfoot mushroom (Craterellus tubaeformis)
Black trumpet mushrooms
Various species of black trumpet mushroom can be found throughout the world. In the Pacific Northwest, we have the species Craterellus calicornucopioides.
It was recently determined to be a separate species from the European black trumpet mushroom, Craterellus cornucopioides; our local mushroom is still often referred to as the latter. The black trumpet mushroom is also known as the horn of plenty or black chanterelle, though I object to the latter name because chanterelles are from the genus Cantharellus.
Craterellus calicornucopioides is mainly found in the southern range of the Pacific Northwest, in tanoak, oak, and manzanita forests. It is most abundant in northern California where it fruits in winter and early spring, but can also be found rarely up to Washington in oak and Douglas fir forests.
Black trumpet mushrooms are considered edible and choice. I find them highly flavorful and in many cases prefer them over golden chanterelles. They are collected commercially, though they’re not as popular overall as golden chanterelles. Often growing in clumps, they can be difficult to spot when foraging due to their dark gray and black color, which blends in easily with the forest floor.
Yellowfoot mushrooms
The yellowfoot mushroom, Craterellus tubaeformis, also known as the winter chanterelle, is a small yelllow-brown trumpet mushroom that occurs in temperate and cold parts of Europe, North America, and Asia, with a cap often under two inches across. The false gills are more pronounced on yellowfoots than on black trumpets, and the stipe is hollow.
Craterellus tubaeformis was recently reclassified from the genus Cantharellus, and it appears very likely, too, that the yellowfoot found in our region is a different species than the one found in Europe and eastern North America. With genetic research, many mushrooms once thought to be a single species have been reclassified into separate species, and the yellowfoot is likely to undergo the same treatment. The likely new name for our local species is Craterellus neotubaeformis. I will update this page if and when the change happens.
Yellowfoot mushrooms grow in ectomycorrhizal relationships with western hemlock, Douglas-fir, and Sitka spruce trees. They can be found from coastal northern California up to Alaska.
