Species details
Oak waxcap
Hygrophorus nemoreus
Traditionally edible
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
A fleshy orange-ochre Hygrophorus with widely spaced thick gills and a mild mealy smell.
Identification features
The cap starts convex and later flattens, with a finely fibrillose surface. Gills are paler than the cap and slightly decurrent.
Identification checklist
Check the orange-ochre fleshy cap, widely spaced thick pale gills that run slightly down the stem, and woodland habitat. The mild mealy smell is supportive but not diagnostic on its own.
How to separate similar species
Meadow waxcap grows in grassland rather than typical woodland. Similar Hygrophorus species differ in sliminess, colour and tree association; compare several characters together.
Habitat
In deciduous and mixed woodland, often with oak and beech on base-rich or calcareous soils; mainly in autumn.
Fruiting period
September, October, November