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Edibility
Choice
Lookalike Danger
1 / 5
Habitat
🍂 Oak, beech duff
Season
Jul – Oct
"Charcoal funnels you'll step past five times before you see one. Smoky, complex — chefs pay $40/lb."
🌳 Host Trees & Plants
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.
Beech
Fagus grandifolia
Ectomycorrhizal · Forageable
Lion's mane, truffle, bolete host. Beechnuts edible.
Oak
Quercus spp.
Ectomycorrhizal · Forageable
Truffle / bolete / chanterelle host. Acorns edible after leaching.
Forest Duff
Leaf litter layer
Saprobic substrate
Decomposing leaf and needle litter on the forest floor — substrate for blewit, aniseed funnel, earthstar, and many coral mushrooms.
Dark gray to black funnel-shaped mushrooms that emerge from oak and beech duff. Among the most-prized edible mushrooms for their complex smoky flavor. Nearly invisible in leaf litter — the trumpets show as black holes on a gray background.
Habitat
Oak and beech forests with moss cover on gentle slopes. Mycorrhizal with hardwoods. Summer through early fall after 2+ weeks of repeated rain. Patches return to the exact same spots year after year.
Season Windows by Region
Region
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Ozark Highlands
MO · 800–1,772 ft
Missouri River Valley
MO · 500–1,200 ft
Mark Twain National Forest
MO · 600–1,600 ft
Northeast Missouri Prairies
MO · 600–1,000 ft
Daniel Boone NF
KY · 700–2,700 ft
Land Between the Lakes
KY · 350–750 ft
Shawnee NF
IL · 350–1,065 ft
Central IL Prairies
IL · 450–850 ft
NW IL Driftless
IL · 600–1,200 ft
Hoosier NF / Brown County
IN · 500–1,050 ft
Central IN
IN · 650–1,050 ft
NE Indiana
IN · 750–1,100 ft
Hocking Hills
OH · 650–1,150 ft
Wayne NF
OH · 600–1,400 ft
NE Ohio
OH · 650–1,350 ft
SW Michigan
MI · 580–1,000 ft
Central MI
MI · 700–1,400 ft
Northern Lower Peninsula
MI · 600–1,700 ft
Upper Peninsula
MI · 600–1,979 ft
WI Driftless Area
WI · 650–1,700 ft
Central WI
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Northern WI
WI · 1,000–1,950 ft
SE MN Driftless
MN · 650–1,350 ft
Central MN
MN · 900–1,500 ft
Monongahela National Forest
WV · 1,500–4,863 ft
New River Gorge
WV · 800–3,200 ft
Shenandoah / Blue Ridge
VA · 1,000–4,049 ft
Southwest Virginia Highlands
VA · 2,000–5,729 ft
Central PA Ridges
PA · 800–2,500 ft
Allegheny National Forest
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Pocono Mountains
PA · 800–2,200 ft
Catskills / Hudson Valley
NY · 400–4,180 ft
Finger Lakes / Central NY
NY · 500–2,000 ft
Great Smoky Mountains
TN · 900–6,643 ft
Cumberland Plateau
TN · 1,000–3,500 ft
Western NC Mountains
NC · 2,000–6,684 ft
Foothills / Piedmont Transition
NC · 800–2,500 ft
Chattahoochee National Forest
GA · 1,200–4,784 ft
Acadia / Down East
ME · 0–1,530 ft
Western Maine
ME · 400–4,170 ft
Northern Maine
ME · 500–5,267 ft
White Mountains
NH · 800–6,288 ft
Lakes Region / Southern NH
NH · 300–1,800 ft
Green Mountains
VT · 800–4,393 ft
Northeast Kingdom
VT · 600–3,300 ft
Berkshires / Western MA
MA · 500–3,491 ft
Northwest CT Hills
CT · 400–2,380 ft
Arcadia / South County
RI · 0–812 ft
Ozark NF
AR · 700–2,700 ft
Ouachita NF (AR)
AR · 600–2,700 ft
Buffalo National River
AR · 500–2,500 ft
Bankhead NF
AL · 600–1,100 ft
Talladega NF
AL · 700–2,407 ft
De Soto NF
MS · 100–400 ft
Sumter NF (Andrew Pickens)
SC · 800–3,500 ft
Francis Marion NF
SC · 10–100 ft
Western MD / Catoctin
MD · 700–3,360 ft
NW NJ / High Point
NJ · 400–1,803 ft
Superior NF / BWCA
MN · 1,300–2,301 ft
Chippewa NF
MN · 1,200–1,500 ft
Uwharrie NF
NC · 400–1,100 ft
Croatan NF
NC · 0–150 ft
George Washington NF
VA · 1,000–4,397 ft
Oconee NF / GA Piedmont
GA · 400–800 ft
Holly Springs NF
MS · 300–600 ft
Adirondacks
NY · 1,000–5,344 ft
Laurel Highlands
PA · 1,200–3,213 ft
Cherokee NF
TN · 1,000–6,285 ft
Conecuh NF
AL · 200–400 ft
Mobile-Tensaw Delta
AL · 0–50 ft
Tombigbee NF
MS · 300–700 ft
Congaree NP
SC · 100–200 ft
Okefenokee / SE GA
GA · 100–200 ft
MN North Shore / Sawtooth
MN · 600–2,301 ft
Oak Openings / NW Ohio
OH · 620–720 ft
NJ Pine Barrens
NJ · 0–200 ft
Minnesota River Valley
MN · 800–1,150 ft
Cape Cod National Seashore
MA · 0–306 ft
Pachaug SF / Eastern CT
CT · 200–500 ft
Pocomoke / Eastern Shore
MD · 0–50 ft
Great Swamp / Central RI
RI · 10–120 ft
Shasta-Trinity NF
CA · 1,500–14,179 ft
Mendocino NF / Yolla Bolly
CA · 1,500–8,092 ft
Sequoia NF / Kern Plateau
CA · 1,500–9,000 ft
Umpqua NF / Diamond Lake
OR · 1,000–9,173 ft
Siuslaw NF / Oregon Dunes
OR · 0–4,097 ft
Growing Requirements
Min Soil Temp
62°F
Moisture Need
rain 1.0in 14d
Drought Tolerance
low
Elevation Range
0–14,179 ft
Look-Alikes
Craterellus fallax (Fragrant Black Trumpet)
Essentially the same mushroom for culinary purposes — some mycologists split them by spore print color. Both choice edible.
Identification Tips
- ✓Scan the ground in front of your feet carefully — they hide in plain sight
- ✓Once you find one, kneel and look closer — they almost always come in patches
- ✓Cut at the base to preserve the mycelium
- ✓Exceptionally good dehydrated — dried trumpets hold flavor for years
Field Notes
Oak-beech duff with moss cover. Fruits in patches after sustained summer rain cycles. Returns to the same spots each year.
Found Black Trumpet?
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.
Safety: Never eat any wild mushroom without 100% certain identification from multiple sources. This page is for informational purposes only. When in doubt, throw it out.