Species details
Spangle waxcap
Hygrocybe insipida
Traditionally edible
Photo: Michel Langeveld · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A small yellow to orange-red waxcap with a characteristically vivid fiery-coloured stem.
Identification features
Cap 1–4.5 cm, yellow to orange-red or pink, waxy, hygrophanous and sticky. Gills are yellow to orange and partly decurrent. Stem is yellow-orange-red, whitish toward the base.
Identification checklist
Check the vivid fiery yellow-orange-red stem, sticky waxy cap and thicker yellow to orange gills.
How to separate similar species
Several red-yellow waxcaps are very similar; colour alone is insufficient. Atypical specimens require caution.
Habitat
Grows on unfertilised damp meadows, pastures and grassland, occasionally in deciduous woodland, from summer to late autumn.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October, November