LEAF & SPOREPLANTS, MUSHROOMS & FIELD GUIDES
Leaf & SporeWestern jack-o’-lantern
Western jack-o’-lantern (Omphalotus olivascens) reference photograph
Ron Pastorino (Ronpast) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Responsive crop.
The California collection / Fungi
Source checked

Western jack-o’-lantern

Omphalotus olivascens

An orange to olive-toned mushroom that often grows in clusters from wood or buried roots. It is toxic and can be mistaken for a chanterelle.

Family
Omphalotaceae
Regional status
Review pending
Habitat
Hardwood stumps & buried roots
Safety
Poisonous

A closer look.

MykoWeb describes true gills and an association with hardwood stumps or roots. The resemblance to chanterelles makes superficial color matching especially unsafe. This species can cause severe gastrointestinal illness.

MykoWeb · Michael Wood & Fred Stevens ↗ · National Capital Poison Center ↗

Core summary source checked

Compared with linked references on October 22, 2026. This is source verification, not independent expert review or an identification guarantee. Seasonal tags are approximate. Specimen maps show a selected historical subset.

Through the seasons

MykoWeb describes fruiting from late autumn through midwinter. Local conditions and rainfall affect timing.

Autumn ↗Winter ↗
Keep lookingHow to read a specimen map ↗Before you wildcraft ↗Explore the regional collection ↗