Cap color

Orange

Orange is one of the brightest and most welcome colors in the forest. Unlike red (associated with amanitas) and green (reminiscent of the death cap), orange marks a whole galaxy of first-class, incredibly tasty and safe edible mushrooms.

24 species in the database.

Where orange comes from

M.Ya. Zerova notes in her "Key to the Fungi of Ukraine" that orange and brick colors are caused by carotenoids (the same pigments that make carrots and pumpkins orange). This pigment is very stable and in many mushrooms survives even cooking.

The main carriers of orange:

1. Red-capped scaber stalk (Leccinum aurantiacum): The cap of this bolete is often a bright brick-orange or fiery red. These boletes grow under aspens and other broadleaf trees and are among the most prized mushrooms.

2. Saffron milk cap (Lactarius deliciosus): The name speaks for itself. This mushroom has a bright orange cap, often with darker concentric rings. Even the milk it releases when cut is carrot-orange (and later turns green).

3. Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius): Its color ranges from yellow to bright orange.

4. False chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca): Has an even brighter, almost neon orange color. Although it's called "false", it isn't deadly poisonous (only inedible or mildly toxic).

Poisonous orange mushrooms

David Arora stresses that despite the many delicacies, orange color doesn't guarantee safety.

The most dangerous mushroom with these shades is the fool's webcap (Cortinarius rubellus / orellanus). This deadly poisonous mushroom (it contains orellanine, which destroys the kidneys) has an orange-tawny, brick or rusty-orange cap. It's easy to mistake for edible mushrooms if you don't notice the cobwebby ring (cortina) and the rusty spores.

The poisonous jack-o'-lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius), which looks a lot like an overgrown chanterelle, also has orange shades.

Questions and answers

Why does a saffron milk cap turn green when touched, if it's orange?

The milk and flesh of the saffron milk cap contain specific substances that, on contact with oxygen in the air (when broken or touched), quickly oxidize and turn into green or blue-green pigments. This is a perfectly normal biochemical reaction that only confirms you have a true saffron milk cap in front of you.

Are there red-capped scaber stalks that aren't orange?

Yes. There is Leccinum percandidum and the orange birch bolete. So an orange cap is a characteristic feature of the classic red-capped scaber stalk, but not the only possible color for this genus.

Sources

1.Зерова М.Я. та ін. Визначник грибів України. 1979
2.Roger Phillips. Mushrooms (Roger Phillips)
3.David Arora. Mushrooms Demystified
4.Index Fungorum