Species details

Cedarwood waxcap

Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus

Traditionally edible
Cedarwood waxcap – Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus

Photo: Adam Bryant · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A small ivory-white to pale-yellow waxcap with a very distinctive strong cedarwood or Russian-leather odour.

Identification features

Cap about 1–2 cm, convex at first and later almost flat, smooth, ivory-white to pale yellow and hygrophanous. Gills are cream, thick, distant and partly decurrent. Stem is cream-white and may have a pinkish tinge.

Identification checklist

Besides the pale yellowish appearance, the key clue is a strong persistent smell of cedarwood, cedar oil or Russian leather.

How to separate similar species

Cuphophyllus virgineus can be very similar in colour. A photo cannot confirm the characteristic odour, so AI should not show high confidence without smell information.

Habitat

Grows on meadows and lawns, including coastal grassland, in summer and autumn.

Fruiting period

July, August, September, October

Similar species

Extended-description sources