Species details
Woodland waxcap
Hygrophorus arbustivus
Traditionally edible
Photo: Nicolò Parrino · CC BY 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A fleshy ochre-brown woodwax with white thick gills and a dry pale stem, characteristically associated with oak.
Identification features
The cap is 5–8 cm wide, ochre to reddish brown, innately fibrous and paler at the margin. Gills are white, thick and spaced. The stem is whitish, dry and somewhat granular near the top.
Identification checklist
Check the ochre-brown fibrous cap, pure white spaced gills, dry stem and association with oak.
Detailed features
- Cap
- The cap is 5–8 cm wide, ochre to reddish brown, innately fibrous and paler at the margin.
- Hymenophore
- The gills are white, thick and widely spaced.
- Stem
- The stem is whitish, dry and somewhat granular near the top.
Size
- Cap diameter
- 5–8 cm
Habitat
Grows with oak, often where there is dense undergrowth, in groups in late summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
September, October, November
Ecology
- Host trees
- Oak (Quercus)
- Notes
- Grows with oak, often where there is dense undergrowth, in groups in late summer and autumn.
How to separate similar species
Hygrophorus nemoreus has more yellowish gills and may smell mealy. Compare gill colour, odour and tree association.