Craterellus cornucopioides
{{Speciesbox
| image = Craterellus cornucopioides JPG1.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Craterellus
| species = cornucopioides
}}
{{mycomorphbox
| name = Craterellus cornucopioides
| hymeniumType = ridges
| capShape = infundibuliform
| whichGills = decurrent
| stipeCharacter = bare
| sporePrintColor = cream
| sporePrintColor2 = buff
| ecologicalType = mycorrhizal
| howEdible = choice
}}
Craterellus cornucopioides, or horn of plenty, is an edible mushroom found in North America and Eurasia. It is also known as the black chanterelle, black trumpet, trompette de la mort (French), trompeta de la mort (Catalan) or trumpet of the dead.
Etymology
The Cornucopia, in Greek mythology, referred to the magnificent horn of the nymph Amalthea's goat (or of herself in goat form), that filled itself with whatever meat or drink its owner requested. It has become the symbol of plenty.
A possible origin for the name "trumpet of the dead" is that the growing mushrooms were seen as being played as trumpets by dead people under the ground.{{or|date=March 2024}}
It is one of several species that may be called djondjon in Haitian.
Description
The fruiting body is shaped like a funnel expanded at the top, the stalk seamless with the cap, which is {{convert|0.5-7|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=off}} in diameter. They grow up to about {{convert|10|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in height,{{Cite book|last1=Davis|first1=R. Michael|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/797915861|title=Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America|last2=Sommer|first2=Robert|last3=Menge|first3=John A.|publisher=University of California Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-520-95360-4|location=Berkeley|pages=273–274|oclc=797915861}} exceptionally {{convert|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}. The upper and inner surface is black or dark grey, and rarely yellow. The lower and outer fertile surface is a much lighter shade of grey. The fertile surface is more or less smooth but may be somewhat wrinkled.
The size of the elliptical spores is in the range 10–17 μm × 6–11 μm. The basidia are two-spored.
{{gallery|mode=packed
|Craterellus.cornucopioides.1000x.DIC.jpg|Spores 1000x
}}
File:2010-08-24 Craterellus cinereus (Pers.) Quél 100703 cropped.jpg]]
=Similar species=
Craterellus cornucopioides has a smooth spore-bearing surface, but the rare, distantly related Cantharellus cinereus has rudimentary gills. The colour and smooth undersurface make C. cornucopioides very distinctive.
The forms Craterellus fallax (with a different spore colour en masse) and C. konradii (with a yellowish fruiting body) have been defined as separate species, but DNA studies now show that the latter should be considered part of C. cornucopioides.
File:Trumpets on the forest floor.jpg, New York]]
Distribution and habitat
This fungus is found in woods in North America, Europe, East Asia, and Australia.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-14 |title=Craterellus cornucopioides – Horn of Plenty |url=https://fungimap.org.au/craterellus-cornucopioides-horn-of-plenty/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |last=Fuhrer |first=Bruce |title=A Field Guide to Australian Fungi |publisher=Bloomings Books Pty Ltd |year=2016 |isbn=1876473517 |edition=Revised |location=Melbourne, Australia |pages=287}} In the American Pacific Northwest, it grows from November to March.{{Cite web |title=Seasonal Chart for Edible Mushrooms |url=https://www.centraloregonmushroomclub.com/Mushroom-Seasons.htm?m=102&s=866 |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Central Oregon Mushroom Club}} It mainly grows under beech, oak or other broad-leaved trees, especially in moss in moist spots on heavy calcareous soil. In Europe it is generally common, but seems to be rare in some countries such as the Netherlands. It appears from June to November, and in the United Kingdom, from August to November.{{Cite book |last=Francis-Baker |first=Tiffany |title=Concise Foraging Guide |date=2021 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4729-8474-6 |series=The Wildlife Trusts |location=London |pages=112}} In Australia, they grow in rainforest gullies, often associated with Northofagus sp., appearing from January to May.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
Because the mushroom tends to be blackish, it easily blends in with leaf litter on the forest floor. Some who hunt the species say it is like looking for black holes in the ground.
Uses
Despite their unpalatable appearance, horns of plenty are edible and choice. According to a Portuguese study, 100 grams of dried C. cornucopioides contain 69.45 g of protein, 13.44 g of carbohydrates (mostly mannitol, a sugar alcohol) and 4.88 g of fat, amounting to 378 calories. They contain fatty acids, primarily of the polyunsaturated variety, as well as phenols, flavonoids and 87 mg of vitamin C.{{cite journal|last=Barros|first=Lillian |author2=Telma Cruz |author3=Paula Baptista |author4=Leticia M. Estevinho |author5=Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira|title=Wild and commercial mushrooms as source of nutrients and nutraceuticals|journal=Food and Chemical Toxicology|date=February 2008|volume=46|issue=8 |pages=2742–2747|doi=10.1016/j.fct.2008.04.030|pmid=18538460 |hdl=10198/743 |url=https://bibliotecadigital.ipb.pt/bitstream/10198/743/1/Wild%20and%20commercial%20mushrooms%20as%20source%20of%20nutrients%20and%20nutraceuticals.pdf|hdl-access=free}} Along with Cantharellus cibarius (golden chanterelles) they are also a significant source of biologically active vitamin B12, containing 1.09–2.65 μg/100 g dry weight.{{cite journal |vauthors=Watanabe F, Schwarz J, Takenaka S, Miyamoto E, Ohishi N, Nelle E, Hochstrasser R, Yabuta Y |title=Characterization of vitamin B₁₂compounds in the wild edible mushrooms black trumpet (Craterellus cornucopioides) and golden chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) |journal=J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) |volume=58 |issue=6 |pages=438–41 |date=2012 |pmid=23419403 |doi=10.3177/jnsv.58.438 |url=|doi-access=free }}
When dried, C. cornucopioides acquires black truffle notes; in this form it can be crumbled as a condiment.{{cite book |last=Meuninck |first=Jim |title=Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms |date=2017 |publisher=Falcon Guides |isbn=978-1-4930-2669-2 |page=10}}
References
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090826045821/http://mushroom-collecting.com/mushroomtrumpet.html Mushroom-collecting.com: Craterellus cornucopioides]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20091003025535/http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Craterellus_cornucopioides.html MykoWeb California Fungi: Craterellus cornucopioides]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q857903}}