Omphalotus illudens – Jack O’lantern

Jack o’lanterns fruit summer-fall on decaying hardwood and buried roots. They fruit in clusters with their stems often converging at their base.

Jack o’lanterns can be identified by their pumpkin orange color and true gills which glow in the dark. The flesh is orangish.

Edible chanterelles must be differentiated from toxic jack o’lanterns. Chanterelles grow from the ground, have false gills, typically don’t have multiple stems converging, and have paler yellow or white flesh.

The jack o’lantern mushroom contains the toxin muscarine, which can cause profuse sweating and intense gastrointestinal distress if consumed.

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Written by Amy Demers, founder of the Connecticut Foraging Club. To learn more about foraging in Connecticut, check out our upcoming classes.