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Craterellus caeruleofuscus A.H. Sm.

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Scientific name
Craterellus caeruleofuscus
Author
A.H. Sm.
Common names
Cerulean Black Trumpet
IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Cantharellales
Family
Cantharellaceae
Assessment status
Published
Assessment date
2023-11-22
IUCN Red List Category
LC
Assessors
James Westrip (IUCN Red List Unit)
Reviewers
Gregory Mueller (Chicago Botanic Garden / IUCN SSC Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball Specialist Group)

Assessment Notes

The content on this page is fetched from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/269708660/269708662

Justification

This is a widespread species, which is unlikely to meet or approach the thresholds for consideration as threatened. Therefore, Craterellus caeruleofuscus is assessed as Least Concern.

Geographic range

This is a species of eastern North America, extending across to the Great Lakes region (Bigelow 1978, Thormann and Rice 2007, Hopping 2023, GBIF 2023). Records from Europe are tentatively assumed to represent misidentifications of other black Craterellus, or potentially a separate taxon.

Population and Trends

The species has been described as 'probably rare' in the south of its range (Hopping 2023), but has also been referred to fruiting in a variety of fashions from scattered to gregarious and caespitose towards the north of its range (Bigelow 1978). With such a wide range it is assumed that the population size will be very large. The population trend is unknown, but it is unlikely to be declining at a rate that would warrant consideration under criterion A.

Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat and Ecology

This is a species that generally occurs with mosses, particularly Sphagnum, usually under coniferous trees like pine and hemlock (Smith 1968, Bigelow 1978, Bessette et al. 1997, Thormann and Rice 2007). It has been noted once in maple-birch woodland, on the ground (Bigelow 1978). It can be found fruiting between July and October (Smith 1968, Bigelow 1978, Bessette et al. 1997).

Threats

With such a wide range it is not thought to face any threats that would be considered significant, although it may face some localised threats.

Conservation Actions

This species occurs in protected areas, having been described from Tahquamenon Falls State Park (Smith 1968). Genetic confirmation of whether this species occurs in Europe or not would be useful.

Use and Trade

There is conflicting information as to whether it is edible or not; with its edibility listed as unknown (Bessette et al. 1997), 'tastes bad' (Hopping 2023) and as a 'choice edible mushroom' (Mushroom Appreciation LLC 2023).

Source and Citation

Westrip, J.R.S. 2025. Craterellus caeruleofuscus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T269708660A269708662. Accessed on 27 November 2025.

Country occurrence