Most fungi within the order are ectomycorrhizal, forming mutually beneficial associations with certain trees, shrubs, and other vascular plants.[6] Species in the Botryobasidiaceae are believed to be saprotrophs of fallen wood and leaf litter.[7] Species in the Ceratobasidiaceae are also saprotrophs, but some are capable of becoming facultative plant pathogens. Species in the Tulasnellaceae are saprotrophic, but are also associated with orchid mycorrhiza, as are some species in the Ceratobasidiaceae.[8] Distribution is cosmopolitan.
Sporocarps (fruit bodies) of chanterelles and some Hydnum species, particularly Hydnum repandum, are edible and widely collected on a commercial scale. They are marketed fresh or processed and traded internationally.[6][9] Several species in the Ceratobasidiaceae, notably Rhizoctonia solani, cause significant diseases of cereals and other commercial crops, as well as turf grass.[8][10]
Genera incertae sedis
Some genera of the Cantharellales have not been assigned to any family, i.e., they are incertae sedis with respect to familial placement:
^Hawksworth DL, Kirk PM, Sutton BC, Pegler DN, eds. (1995). Dictionary of the Fungi (8th ed.). Wallingford, Oxford: CABI. ISBN978-0-85198-885-6.
^Moncalvo J-M; et al. (2006). "The cantharelloid clade: dealing with incongruent gene trees and phylogenetic reconstruction methods". Mycologia. 98 (6): 937–948. doi:10.3852/mycologia.98.6.937. PMID17486970. "Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-12-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)