# Craterellus cornucopioides
**Craterellus cornucopioides** (L.) Pers., commonly called the black trumpet, horn of plenty, black chanterelle, or trumpet of the dead, is an edible wild basidiomycete fungus in the order [Cantharellales](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantharellales) that forms dark, hollow, trumpet- or funnel-shaped fruiting bodies in ectomycorrhizal forests. It is the type species of the genus *Craterellus*, which is characterized by small, funnel-shaped basidiomata and hollow stems.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857064/) The species occurs across temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and beyond, and it is gathered as a wild food though it has not been brought into cultivation.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Craterellus cornucopioides* (L.) Pers.; originally described by Linnaeus in 1753 as *Peziza cornucopioides*, renamed by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1825[3](https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/craterellus-cornucopioides.php) |
| Common names | Horn of plenty (accepted English name), black trumpet, black chanterelle, trumpet of the dead; Corn Llawnder in Welsh[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) • [4](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=NBNSYS0000020726) |
| Fruit body | Very dark (dark brown to black), slightly wrinkled narrow funnel with a hollow center; upper part rolled outwards[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) |
| Spores | Broadly ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid, smooth, hyaline, inamyloid, 10–14 × 6.5–9 µm; spore print white[5](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/mushrooms-encyclopedia/craterellus-cornucopioides) • [6](https://www.svims.ca/council/Chante.htm) |
| Ecology | Ectomycorrhizal with deciduous trees (usually oaks and beeches) and conifers; fruiting bodies grow in scattered groups or clusters[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) |
| Distribution | North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) |
| Use | Edible wild mushroom; only naturally occurring, as a cultivation technology has not been developed[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) |
## Taxonomy and naming
[Carl Linnaeus](https://www.edgepedia.org/carl-linnaeus) described the species in 1753 as *Peziza cornucopioides*, and Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, a mycologist who classified many of the larger fungi, transferred it to *Craterellus* in his 1825 publication, giving the current name.[3](https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/craterellus-cornucopioides.php) The species has accumulated a long list of synonyms as different authors placed it in other genera, including *Cantharellus cornucopioides* (L.) Fr., *Merulius cornucopioides* (L.) With., and *Pleurotus cornucopioides* (L.) Gillet; in the Natural History Museum's UK species dictionary, the combination *Craterellus cornucopioides* (L.) ex Pers. is itself listed as a deprecated junior synonym of the accepted name *Craterellus cornucopioides* (L.) Pers.[4](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=NBNSYS0000020726)
Molecular work has also redrawn the species' boundaries. Dahlman and others (2000) treated *Craterellus konradii* Bourdot and Maire and a taxon described by Smith in 1968, previously recognized as separate species, as synonyms of *C. cornucopioides*.[6](https://www.svims.ca/council/Chante.htm) A 2025 taxonomic review of Chinese *Craterellus* confirmed *C. cornucopioides* as the type species of the genus and placed it in a well-supported phylogenetic clade (bootstrap support 92%, posterior probability 1.0) with several close relatives.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857064/)
## Description and identification
The fruiting body is unusual for a mushroom. It is a thin-walled, tough, hollow trumpet up to about 6 cm across, very dark brown to black when mature, with the inner top surface slightly feltlike and the outer fertile surface smooth to slightly wrinkled rather than ridged.[6](https://www.svims.ca/council/Chante.htm) The hymenium, the spore-bearing layer on the outside of the funnel, is ash-gray, brownish, salmon or rose-tinged, and rarely yellow.[6](https://www.svims.ca/council/Chante.htm) When mature, the fruit body can take on a whitish or gray bloom from the spores it sheds.[7](https://mushroomidentification.com/encyclopedia/horn-of-plenty/identification-guide)
Spore characters carry most of the diagnostic weight. The spores are broadly ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid, smooth, hyaline, and inamyloid, measuring 10–14 × 6.5–9 µm, which is large relative to the body size compared with chanterelle spores.[5](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/mushrooms-encyclopedia/craterellus-cornucopioides) To obtain a spore print, a fruit body is cut in half and placed with its fertile surface facing downward onto dark paper or glass, where it is left covered for between four and eight hours; in *C. cornucopioides* the resulting print is white.[7](https://mushroomidentification.com/encyclopedia/horn-of-plenty/identification-guide) The white spore print has been used to distinguish it from the yellow or salmon-tinged print of *Craterellus fallax* where the two are recognized as separate species.[6](https://www.svims.ca/council/Chante.htm)
## Close relatives and species limits
The boundary between *C. cornucopioides* and its nearest relatives has shifted repeatedly. *Craterellus fallax*, a North American relative, is so similar that many mycologists advocate synonymizing it with *C. cornucopioides*, while others maintain it as separate on the basis of its salmon-yellow spore print and minor morphological characters; it is equally edible.[5](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/mushrooms-encyclopedia/craterellus-cornucopioides) [United States Forest Service](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-forest-service) publications note that the name *Craterellus cornucopioides* is used to refer to *Cr. fallax* when that species is viewed as distinct.[8](https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/5298.pdf)
Recent molecular and morphological work separates several species formerly lumped under the broad concept. In the 2025 Chinese taxonomic review, *C. cornucopioides* sensu stricto has larger basidiospores (13–14 × 7–8 µm) and occurs in temperate regions; *C. fallax* has spores of 10–13 × 7–9 µm and is associated with trees of Pinaceae; and *C. calicornucopioides* has a larger basidioma up to 20 cm with a wavy pileal margin, spores of 11–14 × 8–10 µm, and numerous clamp connections.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857064/) Other dark funnel fungi in the same clade include *C. macrosporus* (spores 12.8–14.5 × 9–11 µm), *C. squamatus* (12–13.8 × 8.5–9.5 µm), and *C. croceialbus* (10–12 × 6.8–8 µm).[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857064/) The gray chanterelle, *Craterellus cinereus*, is cited as the most similar species in field identification.[7](https://mushroomidentification.com/encyclopedia/horn-of-plenty/identification-guide)
## Ecology and distribution
The species is ectomycorrhizal, meaning it exchanges nutrients with the roots of host trees in a mutualistic association. Its hosts include both deciduous trees, usually oaks and beeches, and conifers, and it grows in deciduous and mixed forests.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) Genus-wide, *Craterellus* forms ectomycorrhizal relationships with host plants in the [Dipterocarpaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/dipterocarpaceae), Fagaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Pinaceae, and [Salicaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/salicaceae), contributing to forest biodiversity.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857064/) Fruiting bodies usually grow in scattered groups or clusters.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
Its presence has been recorded in North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as South America and Australia.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) Despite this range, the mushroom is still only collected from the wild; a cultivation technology has not been developed, and commercial material is imported from countries including Turkey.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
## Composition and food use
The black trumpet is edible and valued for flavor, though it is not widely used in Europe as a food ingredient and its taste is known mainly to mushroom enthusiasts.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) Analyses of its composition show a caloric value of 248.0–413.2 kcal, high water content of 62.5–93.2%, and low fat content of 4.9–6.9% of dry weight; reported protein content ranges widely, from 11.8% to 69.4% of dry weight, partly because different studies used different conversion factors (4.38 or 6.25) to calculate protein from Kjeldahl nitrogen.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
**Fatty acids.** Unsaturated fatty acids predominate in the fruiting bodies, accounting for 75.9–83.6% of all fatty acids, most of them monounsaturated (about 60–61.4%). Oleic and linoleic acids are the most abundant, at 51.9% and 23.7% in one analysis, followed by stearic and palmitic acids.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
**Other constituents.** The mushroom contains β-glucans, nondigestible polysaccharides classified as dietary fiber; one analysis found 15 g of β-glucan per 100 g of dry weight, among the lower values for the mushroom species compared. It also contains minerals (potassium and phosphorus are prominent), vitamins including ascorbic acid at about 0.81–0.87 mg/g dry weight, polyphenols, tannins, free amino acids, nucleotides, and the sugar alcohol mannitol, which shapes its sensory properties.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/) Reported bioactivities include antioxidant, immunostimulating, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antihyperglycemic effects, though the review notes significant differences in results between studies.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
**Cooking effects.** A 2020 study using an in vitro simulated digestion model compared steaming, boiling, frying, and microwaving. Protein hydrolysis after digestion was highest under microwaving, at 42.84%. Mineral bioaccessibility ranged from a high of 83.35% for copper under frying to a low of 3.96% for iron, also under frying, while lead was not digested. Frying caused severe losses of protein bioaccessibility but produced the highest release of reducing sugar and the highest antioxidant activity.[9](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002364382030757X) Thermal treatment such as cooking dried fruiting bodies has also been reported to cause a more than tenfold decrease in α-glucan and β-glucan content, with total glucans falling from 16.0 to 1.5 g per 100 g dry weight.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
## References
1. [Updated Taxonomy of Chinese *Craterellus* (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales) with Three New Species Described, Life (MDPI) / PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857064/)
2. [Adamska, I. and Felisiak, K. (2024). Black Trumpet [*Craterellus cornucopioides* (L.) Pers.]—Bioactive Properties and Prospects for Application in Medicine and Production of Health-Promoting Food. Nutrients 16(9):1325.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11085333/)
3. [*Craterellus cornucopioides*, Horn of Plenty, First Nature](https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/craterellus-cornucopioides.php)
4. [Species Dictionary entry, Natural History Museum, London](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/taxon?tvk=NBNSYS0000020726)
5. [*Craterellus cornucopioides* (Horn of Plenty), VIRIAR mushroom encyclopedia](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/mushrooms-encyclopedia/craterellus-cornucopioides)
6. [Key to Gilled Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest, South Vancouver Island Mycological Society](https://www.svims.ca/council/Chante.htm)
7. [Horn of Plenty Identification Guide, Mushroom Identifier](https://mushroomidentification.com/encyclopedia/horn-of-plenty/identification-guide)
8. [Ecology and Management of Commercially Harvested Chanterelle Mushrooms, USDA Forest Service](https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/5298.pdf)
9. [Liu, Y. et al. (2020). Cooking methods effect on the nutrients, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of *Craterellus cornucopioides*. LWT 131:109768.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002364382030757X)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Microorganisms and fungi › Fungi and mycology › Basidiomycete taxa › Agaricomycetes › Chanterelles and other orders › Cantharellales › Craterellus*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license