Terracotta hedgehog or False chanterelle

The cap is 2 to 6 cm across, sometimes larger, convex then flatter, often irregular, lobed or wavy at the edge and lumpy, without a deep funnel. It often sits slightly off-centre on the stem.

The surface is dry and finely felty or velvety. It's orange-red, terracotta or brownish orange, paler towards the edge, and fades with age.

The cap is 3-8 cm across, convex with an inrolled margin when young, becoming funnel-shaped with a thin wavy margin. It's bright orange, brick-toned, more intense in young mushrooms (orange to orange-red) and paler in old ones, fading to yellow-ochre. The surface is velvety, suede-like, with barely visible fine scales, especially at the centre. In wet weather it's slightly matte, not sticky.

Instead of gills there are crowded, soft spines 2 to 5 mm long that hang like stalactites, whitish, pink or peachy, and brush off easily. They stop at the top of the stem and don't run down it.

The spore print is white.

It has true, crowded gills, not the gill-like ridges of the real chanterelle. They're thin and decurrent, forking again and again but without the cross-veins of the real chanterelle, and orange-yellow, matching the cap. The spore print is white to pale yellow. The key feature that sets it apart from the real chanterelle: if you see distinct thin gills, it's the false chanterelle.

The stem is 2 to 6 cm tall and usually 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, solid, whitish or pinkish white, bruising orange-brown when touched or pressed, and often pointed at the base.

The stem is 2-6 cm tall and 0.5-1.2 cm thick, cylindrical, often curved and slightly thickened toward the base. It's orange-yellow like the cap, smooth, with no ring. The stem flesh is soft and thin, not as dense and springy as the real chanterelle's.

The flesh is firm, whitish with pink or salmon tones.

The flesh is thin, watery, yellowish-cream and brittle, and doesn't change colour when cut. There's no distinct smell. Older ones taste slightly sour.

The smell is indistinct.

Faint, neutral and mushroomy, without the characteristic fruity apricot aroma of the real chanterelle. It's a supporting clue, not the main one: the real chanterelle's apricot scent is faint, so check the gills first.