Mycoscout The short answer
Look under the cap and at the stem. A chanterelle has no true gills: its underside is blunt, forked ridges with cross-veins running down a short stem, and its print is pale yellow to cream. A deadly webcap has true gills, pale yellowish at first and "becoming rusty brown as the spores mature", hidden on young specimens by a cobweb-like veil (the cortina) that leaves rusty threads on the stem. Its stem is longer, paler than the cap, and "usually bear[s] a distinctive yellowish snakeskin-like pattern" (First Nature). Its spore print is rusty reddish-brown.
First Nature records that the webcap's orange cap has led to it being mistaken for the chanterelle "with serious and sometimes fatal results". The webcap is the reason an orange mushroom from conifer woods needs every feature checked, not one, and a spore print before it is eaten.
Side by side
| Feature | Deadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus) | Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 4–8 cm, tawny brown to orange, dry, slightly scaly, convex then flat, usually with a central bump (umbo) | Up to 10 cm, light yellow to egg-yolk yellow, funnel-shaped with a wavy, irregular margin, sometimes a fine white bloom |
| Underside | True gills, pale yellowish then rusty brown; covered by a cortina (cobweb veil) when young | Blunt, forked ridges or veins with cross-veins, running down the stem; no veil at any stage |
| Stem and base | 5–10 cm tall, 7–15 mm thick, often slightly bowed, paler than the cap, with a yellowish snakeskin-like pattern and rusty cortina threads | Short, typically no more than 2 cm, same colour as the cap or paler, merging into the cap |
| Flesh when cut | Not a field test; never taste a webcap | Firm, fleshy, pale |
| Smell | Faint smell of radish (First Nature) | Faint apricot |
| Spore print | Rusty reddish-brown | Pale yellow to creamy white |
| Substrate and habit | On the ground, mycorrhizal with conifers, especially pine and spruce, on damp acidic soil; small groups | On the ground, mycorrhizal with oak, chestnut, hazel, beech and conifers; scattered groups |
| Season | UK: August–November | UK: June–November; US: May–October |
| Range | Very common in Scandinavia and northern Europe; rarer in southern Britain, commoner northward; parts of North America | Europe; many parts of North America (as cibarius-like species) |
Features that do not separate them
- Colour from above. Tawny orange and egg-yolk yellow overlap in dim conifer light and after rain. This is the mistake that First Nature says has been fatal.
- Habitat. Both grow on the ground with conifers. The chanterelle also grows with hardwoods; the webcap sticks to conifers; but a pine wood can hold both.
- Season. August to November for the webcap sits inside the chanterelle's June to November.
- "No cobweb, so not a webcap." The cortina is present on young specimens and tears away as the cap opens, leaving only rusty threads on the stem that litter can hide. An old webcap has no visible veil.
- Smell and taste. The radish smell of the webcap is faint and the apricot smell of the chanterelle is faint. Never taste a suspected webcap.
- Group size. Both grow in small groups or scattered.
Why one feature is never enough: the chanterelle has other orange look-alikes too, the jack-o'-lantern and the false chanterelle, each with true gills. "Has gills, so it is a jack-o'-lantern, so it is only a stomach upset" is a dangerous shortcut, because a webcap also has gills and is deadly. Any orange mushroom with true gills and a rusty print goes back on the ground.
What happens if you get it wrong
The deadly webcap contains orellanine, which "destroys the kidneys and liver" (First Nature). The defining feature of this poisoning is the delay. NAMA says symptoms appear "within 36 hours to 3 weeks of ingestion (average is about 8 days)"; First Nature says they are usually delayed "by two or three days". The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, frequent urination, burning thirst, headache and chills, followed by progressive kidney failure; fever is generally absent (NAMA). First Nature describes flu-like symptoms, headache and vomiting, then kidney failure, which can be fatal without treatment. NAMA notes that patients with severe but reversible damage may recover kidney function between two and four weeks after symptoms start.
Because the symptoms arrive days after the meal, the mushroom is rarely suspected. If anyone develops unexplained thirst, frequent urination or flu-like illness days after eating wild "chanterelles" from conifer woods, say so to the doctor and call the numbers in the box above. If you suspect a webcap was eaten and symptoms have not begun, do not wait for them. The species pages carry more: deadly webcap and chanterelle.
Using an app to check a find
A photo from above shows an orange cap in moss, which is exactly the view that fools people. A clear photo of the underside shows ridges or gills, and a photo of the stem can show the snakeskin pattern and cortina threads if you clean away the needles first. Mycoscout asks for the cap, the gills, the stem and the habitat, puts the verdict first, shows its confidence, and names the deadly webcap, the jack-o'-lantern and the false chanterelle as look-alikes to rule out with the features to check. It cannot take the spore print that settles the question, and it cannot see a cortina that has already gone. Use the result as a prompt, then print, then ask a local expert, especially in Scandinavia and northern Britain where the webcap is common. Mycoscout is a field companion, not a clearance to eat.
Frequently asked questions
How long after eating a deadly webcap do symptoms start?
Days, not hours. First Nature says symptoms are usually delayed by two or three days. NAMA gives a range of 36 hours to 3 weeks, with an average of about 8 days. By then the meal is often forgotten, which is why doctors miss it.
What does deadly webcap poisoning do?
Orellanine damages the kidneys. NAMA lists nausea, vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, frequent urination, burning thirst, headache and chills, followed by progressive kidney failure. First Nature says it can be fatal without treatment.
Where does the deadly webcap grow?
With conifers, especially pine and spruce, on damp acidic soil, in small groups. It is very common in Scandinavia and northern Europe, rare in southern England and Wales and more common further north, and also found in parts of North America (First Nature).
Does the deadly webcap have gills?
Yes, true gills, pale yellowish at first and rusty brown as the spores mature, covered in young specimens by a cobweb-like veil called a cortina. A chanterelle has no true gills, only blunt, forked ridges, and never a cortina.
Sources
How we checked this page: the Mycoscout team cross-checked every edibility, toxicity and look-alike statement against the sources below on October 31, 2026. It has not been reviewed by a mycologist.
- Cortinarius rubellus, Deadly Webcap, First Nature. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Mushroom poisoning syndromes, North American Mycological Association. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Cantharellus cibarius, Chanterelle, First Nature. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Omphalotus olearius, Jack o'Lantern, First Nature. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Chanterelles, Missouri Department of Conservation. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Chanterelle, Woodland Trust. Accessed October 31, 2026.
