False chanterelle or Vermilion waxcap

Cap 1-3 cm, hemispherical at first, then convex-spreading, sometimes with a small bump. Color bright red, cinnabar red, may turn orange with age. The surface is matte, finely scaly or granular-rough — a characteristic feature of the species. In wet weather it's slightly damp, but not slimy.

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

Gilled hymenophore. Gills distant, thick, waxy, attached or slightly decurrent. Orange-yellow to reddish. Spore print white.

Gilled hymenophore — true, crowded gills (not gill-like ridges as in the real chanterelle). The gills are thin, decurrent, often forked or joined by cross-veins. Color orange-yellow, matching the cap. Spore print 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.

Stem 2-5 cm tall, 0.2-0.4 cm thick, thin, cylindrical, hollow. Orange-red or orange-yellow, paler toward the base. The surface is dry and smooth. There is no ring.

Stem 2-6 cm tall, 0.5-1.2 cm thick, cylindrical, often curved, slightly thickened toward the base. Color orange-yellow, matching the cap. Surface smooth, no ring. Stem flesh hollow or watery — a key difference from the real chanterelle, whose flesh is springy and meaty.

The flesh is thin, brittle, orangey. It doesn't change color when cut. It has no culinary value.

Flesh thin, watery, yellowish-cream, brittle. Does not change color when cut. No distinct smell. Older specimens taste slightly sour.

No distinct smell. Mild taste, nothing special.

Faint, neutral, mushroomy, without the characteristic fruity apricot aroma of the real chanterelle. This is one of the key diagnostic differences: the real chanterelle smells of fresh apricots, the false one smells of nothing, or faintly "damp and mushroomy".