As the name implies, the Southern jack o'lantern is not only a striking pumpkin-like orange color, but it also has the ability to glow in the dark — resembling carved Halloween jack o'lanterns with candles in them. This phenomenon that the southern jack o'lantern produces is called bioluminescence and is most evident at the peak of spore production.
Cap Diameter:
5 - 15 cm
Odor:
Unpleasant or mildly mushroomy
In This Article
Attributes
Similar Species
Tips for Finding
Clean and Preserve
Common Questions
General Info About Southern jack o'lantern
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Attributes of Southern jack o'lantern
Cap Diameter
5 - 15 cm
Cap
Cap 5 - 15 cm wide; convex to funnel-shaped; orange; dry, smooth to slightly wrinkled; margin even, undulate or lobed
Gills
Deeply decurrent; close to subdistant; orange yellow
Stem
3 - 8 cm long, 1.5 - 4 cm thick; eccentric or central, tapered downward; solid; cap-colored or paler; whitish
Flesh
Up to 1 cm thick; firm; yellowish; unchanging when cut
Spore Print Color
Pale yellow
Odor
Unpleasant or mildly mushroomy
Body Color
Orange
Growth Form
Gregarious, Clustered
Substrate
On wood
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Habitat of Southern jack o'lantern
Decaying conifer or hardwood stumps
Scientific Classification of Southern jack o'lantern
