Black Trumpet

(Craterellus fallax)

Conservation Status
Black Trumpet
Photo by Luciearl
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Black Trumpet is a common and widespread, edible mushroom. It occurs across North America but is especially common in the east. It fruits on the ground, scattered or in groups, in deciduous and mixed woodlands. It obtains its nutrients from the rootlets of oak, beech, and possibly other hardwood trees (mycorrhizal). It is often missed because its shape and color allows it to blend in with its surroundings. It sometimes stands out in sharp relief against a carpet of moss.

The fruiting body is more or less trumpet-shaped. There is no sharp distinction between the stalk and the cap.

The stalk is tough, hollow except at the very base, tapered, to 2 long, and 3 16 to wide. It is the same color or slightly paler than the underside of the cap.

The cap is shaped like a funnel, 1¼ to 3½ high, and ¾ to 3 or more wide. It is tapered, hollow in the center, and broadly spread outwards at the top. The margins curved downwards, becoming wavy at maturity and splitting with age. The upper side is finely scaly, pale brown to grayish-brown when dry, dark brown to black when moist.

The underside is smooth or slightly wrinkled, and colored similar tho the cap but paler. There are no gills. At maturity it is covered with a whitish spore dust with yellowish or orangish tints.

The flesh is thin, tough, brittle, and grayish-brown or colored like the cap. It has a fruity fragrance reminiscent of apricots.

The spore print is whitish to pinkish-orange or yellowish.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Ashen Chanterelle (Cantharellus cinereus) underside is bluish-black or bluish gray and conspicuously wrinkled with shallow, primitive gills.

Blue Chanterelle (Polyozellus multiplex) cap is tinted purple or dark blue.

Horn of Plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides) has a white spore print but is otherwise indistinguishable. It is common in Europe but much rarer in North America.

 
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

On the ground in deciduous or mixed woodlands. Oak, beech, and possibly other hardwoods.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

July to October

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 7, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  7/21/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common and widespread

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Basidiomycota (club fungi)  
  Subphylum Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)  
  Class Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)  
 

Order

Cantharellales  
 

Family

Hydnaceae  
 

Genus

Craterellus (trumpets)  
  Subgenus Craterellus  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Black Trumpet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Mycorrhizal

A symbiotic, usually beneficial relationship between a fungus and the tiny rootlets of a plant, usually a tree.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this fungus.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

Jane Harper

 
 

I find these every year in the same location

 
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  
           
    Black Trumpet      
 

Luciearl

 
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  
           
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  
           
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  
           
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  
           
    Black Trumpet   Black Trumpet  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Craterellus fallax - fungi kingdom
Fungi Kingdom
   
 
About

Published on Jan 23, 2015

Craterellus fallax - fungi kingdom

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this fungus.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Finding Wild Black Trumpet Mushrooms - Craterellus Fallax
Wild Meat Let's Eat
 
   
 
About

ul 14, 2019

Finding Wild Black Trumpets is not easy... but well worth the search. Craterellus Fallax is a choice edible... However it takes a lot to make a meal. When finding black trumpets I recommend looking around moss at the bass of hardwood trees like a white oak and when you finally find the trumpets... pay close attention to the habitat and take note of your location because black trumpets will come back year after year. I really enjoy looking for them in the leaf litter... it's almost like a personal challenge because they are so hard to find at times. The Latin name for Black Trumpets is Craterellus Fallax and it has different nicknames like horn of plenty, trumpet of the dead and the black chanterelle. Black trumpets are a wonderful wild mushroom and shouldn't be overlooked. If you like spending time in the woods gathering wild edibles/mushrooms and connecting with nature or even if this is new to you... Please join the outdoor adventure. Thank you for spending your valuable time with me and Thank you for watching Wild Meat Let's Eat.

 
  First Black Trumpets (Craterellus fallax) of 2018
Don King
 
   
 
About

Jun 17, 2018

Check out my summer mushroom camp and group mushroom hikes!

 
  Black Trumpet Mushroom ID, Hunting Tips, & Look-Alikes
Learn Your Land
 
   
 
About

Jul 20, 2017

The Black Trumpet (Craterellus fallax) is a choice edible mushroom found throughout the summer months in Eastern North America. Learn almost everything you'd ever want to know in this video!

 
  Black Trumpets and Honey Mushrooms in Wisconsin's Northwoods
Wisconsin Mycological Society
 
   
 
About

Jun 14, 2021

Rose from Wisconsin Mycological Society along with Patrick from Blue Ridge Mycological Society of Virginia, explore Wisconsin's Northwoods and find some interesting gourmet wild edible fungus. Black Trumpets ( Craterellus fallax ) and Honey Mushrooms ( Armillaria mellea )

 
  How to find black trumpet mushrooms, Craterellus fallax + flame chanterelles, Craterellus ignicolor
Anna McHugh
 
   
 
About

Oct 18, 2021

In this video, I describe how to find and identify black trumpet mushrooms that grow in the eastern United States, Craterellus fallax. Craterellus fallax is a tasty mushroom with a fruity, earthy flavor and nice texture. Black trumpets grow in association with hardwoods throughout the summer and fall, often in the same oak and beech groves that are my favorite places to go mushroom hunting.

The trouble with trumpets - if you can consider anything related to these delightful mushrooms as troublesome - is how stinking hard they are to see. Black trumpets are the incognito tab of the mushroom world. They look like curled leaves. Or tiny holes. Or shadows of mouse turds. Fortunately, they come back in the same spot year after year, and individual patches are tightly clustered enough that seeing one means it's worthwhile to hit the deck and look around the immediate vicinity.

I also share how to identify a related edible mushroom, Craterellus ignicolor. Commonly called the flame chanterelle, Craterellus ignicolor is a hollow little mushroom with a nifty hole in the top (the crater in "Craterellus"). Brightly colored and sporting false gills like larger varieties of chanterelles, Craterellus ignicolor is a surely worth mentioning in any discussion of eye-catching fungi.

Learn more about why I'm a fan of Craterellus fallax and Craterellus ignicolor, despite the challenges of finding them in the first place.

https://youtu.be/jM_8zlIeCLM

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this fungus.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Jane Harper
7/21/2022

Location: Inglis, FL.

I find these every year in the same location

Black Trumpet  
  Trevis
9/7/2019

Location: Shevlin, MN

 
  Kai H
8/4/2019

Location: Banning State Park

 
  Luciearl
7/19/2018

Location: Cass County

Black Trumpet  
  Luciearl
10/29/2017

Location: Fairview Township, MN

Black Trumpet  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars


Last Updated:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.