Species details
Scarlet waxcap
Hygrocybe coccinea
Extra caution required
Photo: Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
A small to medium bright scarlet waxcap with a shiny cap, yellowish stem base, and waxy, spaced gills.
Identification features
The cap begins hemispherical to bell-shaped, later expands, and is red to orange-red, fading with age. Gills are thick, spaced, and orange-red to yellowish. The stem is smooth, hollow, red, and yellow toward the base.
Identification checklist
Check the small shiny scarlet cap, thick spaced waxy gills, red stem with yellowish base, and especially the absence of blackening.
How to separate similar species
Blackening waxcap blackens strongly. Crimson waxcap is usually larger and darker. Red waxcaps cannot be reliably identified from a cap-only photograph.
Habitat
On nutrient-poor, often damp grassland and among moss, also in woodland clearings, mainly in autumn.
Fruiting period
September, October