# Jack O'Lantern Mushroom (*Omphalotus*)

The Jack O'Lantern Mushroom glows in the dark! It’s a fun mushroom to spot at night.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Epic
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Forests
- **Also known as:** Fool's Mushroom, Omphalotus olearius

![Jack O'Lantern Mushroom](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Omphalotus_olearius2.JPG&width=800)

Photo: שומבלע, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Omphalotus_olearius2.JPG)

## Appearance

The Jack O'Lantern Mushroom has vibrant orange to yellowish-orange caps and gills that run down its stem. It often grows in large clusters at the base of trees or on decaying wood. Its bright color and decurrent gills make it visually distinct.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Agaricales
- **Family:** Omphalotaceae
- **Genus:** Omphalotus

## Interesting facts

- Despite its spooky name, it's not actually a pumpkin!
- Its bright color warns animals that it's not safe to eat.
- People sometimes confuse it with edible chanterelle mushrooms, but its gills are different.
- You might spot its ghostly glow more easily on really dark, humid nights.

## Special abilities

- **Nightlight Fungi:** Jack O'Lantern Mushroom has bioluminescence that helps them glow in the dark, attracting insects to spread their spores.
- **Tree Recycler:** Jack O'Lantern Mushroom can decompose dead wood, recycling nutrients back into the forest soil for new plants.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-15 cm
- **Edible:** poisonous
- **Size:** 5-20 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Late summer to fall
- **Spore Color:** White to pale yellow

## Ecological connections

- **Depends on:** [American Beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-beech) (*Fagus grandifolia*) — Feeds on its dead wood.
- **Depends on:** [White Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*) — Decomposes its fallen logs and stumps.
- **Depends on:** [Red Maple](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-maple) (*Acer rubrum*) — Helps break down its decaying trunks.

## Traits

- [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem.
- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Glowing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/glowing): Pertaining to organisms that emit light through bioluminescence or fluorescence.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Do not pick or eat anything you find. Some plants and mushrooms can be harmful.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Jack O'Lantern Mushroom?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Jack O'Lantern Mushroom?

5-15 cm

### Is Jack O'Lantern Mushroom edible?

poisonous

### How big is Jack O'Lantern Mushroom?

5-20 cm

### Where is Jack O'Lantern Mushroom usually found?

Forests

### What does Jack O'Lantern Mushroom grow on?

wood

### When is Jack O'Lantern Mushroom in season?

Late summer to fall

### What color are Jack O'Lantern Mushroom spores?

White to pale yellow

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Jack O'Lantern Mushroom: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/jack-olantern-mushroom)