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Edibility
Choice
Lookalike Danger
1 / 5
Habitat
🌽 Corn ears
Season
Aug – Sep
"Corn smut. Swollen gray-black galls on corn ears. Mexican delicacy — sweeter and earthier than truffles."
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.

Living corn ears — host for huitlacoche (corn smut), a prized Mexican delicacy when the kernels swell with Ustilago maydis galls.
NOT a mushroom — a smut fungus (Ustilago maydis) that infects corn kernels and swells them into grayish-black galls. Delicacy in Mexican cuisine; earthy-sweet flavor. Cultivated intentionally on corn in parts of Mexico and the US.
Infected corn kernels. Late summer and fall.
Min Soil Temp
55°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–4,784 ft
Huitlacoche is a single large gall per kernel; mold is superficial fuzz.
Corn ears
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.