BASIDIOMYCETES: Aphyllophorales, Cantharellaceae

Pig’s Ears, Gomphus clavatus or Cantharellus clavatus

Basidiomycetes, order: Aphyllophorales, family: Cantharellaceae

Height to 8"

The Pig’s Ears begins cylindrical with a flattened top, becoming deeply vase- or funnel-shaped with an extremely undulating margin and interior, to 4" wide. Color is purplish to tan or brown. The fertile surface is pale purplish or yellow-brown and composed of interweaving veins from cap to base. Spore print is tan to ochre. The mushroom grows on the ground, often forming clumps, in coniferous woodlands during the fall in northern regions, the Pacific Northwest, and California. It is edible and very good. Also known as Pig’s Ears Gomphus.