White Chanterelle
A choice edible with a fruity odor likened to apricots, C. subalbidus is found in a wide variety of conifer habitats on both sides of the Cascades but particularly favors mature Douglas fir forests of the eastern Cascade slopes. Caps range from 6-20cm across. The caps which can range from a few centimeters to as much as twenty centimeters are white to cream-colored and develop yellowish to brownish stains with age. They are smooth, moist to dry, and may be lumpy. The flesh is stringy and develops yellowish to orangish tones on exposure or handling. The fertile undersurface is concolorous with the cap and features a dense network of veins that run down the stalk, forking and cross-connecting rather extensively. Morphologically the fungus is rather stout but sinuous stalks may taper downward and reach 10 or more centimeters in length. LIke their better-known orangish cousins, they tend to be long-lasting and resistant to rot and maggot infestations. When fresh they are a most handsome and unmistakable fungus much sought-after for the table.