Mycorrhizal with spruce and fir in moist, shaded conifer forest, often near trunks and roots

Edible when well cooked; some people react badly to it

• ▸ Vase- to fan-shaped fruit bodies, usually clustered and fused at the base
• ▸ Orange-brown to lilac upper surface with a wavy, ragged margin
• ▸ Wrinkled violet-to-lilac underside with blunt, forking ridges (no true gills) running down the stem
• ▸ Firm white to pale lilac flesh with a mild, mushroomy taste and little smell

A distant relative of the chanterelles with an earthy, meaty texture; rated choice by some, though it can cause gastric upset and is declining across much of Europe.