Jack o' Lantern is a striking, bright orange mushroom that usually grows in dense tufts from the decaying underground roots of deciduous trees or from dead stumps and, less commonly fallen branches. It's dual claim to fame is that it is a poisonous mushroom whose gills are (weakly!) bioluminescent. (A few gilled mushrooms and several other kinds of fungi are known to emit light. In a very dark environment, when your eyes have had time to adjust, the gills of Jack o' Lantern can sometimes be seen glowing a ghostly green.) Jack o' Lantern and other members of the genus Omphalotus are seriously poisonous toadstools that contain the toxin muscarine; when eaten they cause gastric upsets that can last for several days. Poisoning by this species is not usually fatal, but great care must be taken when gathering edible orange-coloured mushrooms such as Chanterelles to avoid accidentally including Jack o' Lantern. (Even more dangerous is the superficially similar Cortinarius rubellus, which has been responsible for many deaths.)
7 to 20cm across; initially convex with an inrolled margin, flattening and eventually developing an upturned wavy margin; smooth; bright orange to yellowish orange.
Decurrent; non-forking; colour as cap.
5 to 20cm long and 1 to 2cm diameter, smooth, tapering towards the base; yellowish orange, darkening towards the base.
