Waxy Caps (Hygrocybe, Hygrophorus, Gliophorus, Cuphophyllus, Gloioxanthomyces, Humidicutis)
With the rise of DNA sequencing, the common name Waxcap or Waxy Caps now encompasses more than a few genera. The name still holds a practical purpose in referring to mushrooms of these genera in the family Hygrophoraceae, which have thick, waxy-looking gills, which are often brightly colored and are small to medium-sized.
Habitat & Ecology: on the ground, well-rotted logs, and moss; the ecology of this group is uncertain
Gills: varied but most are attached
Spore Print: pale-colored, mostly white
Deceivers (Laccaria spp.)
Species in the genera Laccaria are called the Deceivers for their wide ranges of variability and their tendency to shift color as they lose moisture or age. Although these mushrooms have a few consistent characteristics, including white to lilac colored spore prints, thick and waxy-like gills (usually purple or flesh-colored), are always on the ground, and have tough and fibrous stems. Laccaria species are mycorrhizal and are found in various habitat types, especially the Common Laccaria (Laccaria laccata), a very common mushroom that can be found just about anywhere. This group is a look-a-like for Waxy Caps due to their distant, waxy gills, however, Laccaria spp. are never viscid or glutinous like many Waxy Caps.
Waxy Caps (Hygrocybe, Hygrophorus, Gliophorus, Cuphophyllus, Gloioxanthomyces, Humidicutis)
Hygrocybe
Ecology & habitat: their ecological role is uncertain but they are ground-dwelling mushrooms
Viscosity & moisture: They can be dry to viscid, and few glutinous
Gill attachment: Gills attachment varies widely
Other: Slender stem, hollow with age
Hygrophorus (Woodwaxes)
Ecology & habitat: mycorrhizal, most often with conifers; late summer, fall
Viscosity & moisture: Slimy! Often with debris stuck to their surface
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Cap viscid or glutinous (thickly slimy)
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Stalk dry, viscid, or glutinous (thickly slimy)
Gill attachment: typically broadly attached to decurrent, and usually white or pale colored
Other: Fleshy stalk
Gliophorus
Viscosity & moisture: extremely slimy – glutinous!
Gill attachment: decurrent
Cuphophyllus:
Gills: translucent gills
Other: not brightly colored
Hygrocybe
Vermilion or Miniature Waxcap (Hygrocybe miniata)
Notes: smaller size of waxy, features are quite variable
Habitat & Ecology: ecology uncertain; on the ground, or well-decayed logs; in deciduous forest, especially under oaks; early summer through fall
Cap: convex with a slight depression; smooth and minutely scurfy or fibrillose; margin thinly lined or scalloped, and curled at first; scarlet, fading to orange; dry
Gills: broadly attached (90-degree angle); subdistant to distant; waxy; variable color – yellow/white, orange, or reddish
Stem: equal, tapering to base; colored as cap or yellow; smooth, sometimes with a furrow; dry
Flesh: orange to pale yellow and thin; odor not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: Chanterelle Waxcap (Hygrocybe cantharellus) has decurrent gills and usually a longer stem; Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea) has bowed, more distant and notched gills where the midsection is longer than either end of the gill.
Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: ecology uncertain; in deciduous or coniferous or mixed forests; summer to late fall
Cap: conical, convex, plano-convex, umbonate; smooth; margin incurved to upturned; deep red; viscid when fresh
Gills: broadly attached or narrowly attached; subdistant to distant; thick, waxy; pink to red, with white or yellowish edges
Stem: thick, equal, hollow; red to red-orange and lighter base; smooth, not stringy or striate; dry
Flesh: thin, reddish, waxy; smell not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: More red and doesn’t fade like Vermilion Waxcap (Hygrocybe miniata); Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea) has a viscid cap, more notched gills and a fibrillose stem with a whitish base.
Chanterelle or Goblet Waxcap (Hygrocybe cantharellus)
Notes: Only a few waxy caps are found on decaying logs
Habitat & Ecology: ecology uncertain; on the ground, moss, rich humus, decaying logs, bogs; in deciduous forests; summer and fall
Cap: plano-convex with a sunken center; smooth or finely fibrillose; inrolled, scalloped, and yellow margin; scarlet or orange; dry or tacky
Gills: decurrent and arched; subdistant; waxy; orange/yellow and paler than cap
Stem: equal, long, and slender; same color as cap, white/yellow base; smooth; dry or tacky
Flesh: yellow to orange and firm; mild to sweet; sometimes like raw potatoes or not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: Vermilion Waxcap (Hygrocybe miniata) does not have decurrent nor scarlet gills and usually has a short stem.
Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea)
Notes: largest Hygrocybe in North America; listed as Vulnerable on IUCN Red List
Habitat & Ecology: ecology uncertain; cool, damp places; under Beech and Hemlock; summer and fall
Cap: variable shape – conical to convex, becoming knobbed; smooth; uplifted margin when old; deep red, fading to orange in splotches; greasy or viscid
Gills: narrowly attached or notched; distantly spaced; bowed gills where the midsections are longer than either end; thick, soft, waxy; red to yellow-orange
Stem: equal or narrowed at base; yellow to orange to red and whitish-yellow at the base; stringy, fibrillose; dry
Flesh: thin, yellow-orange, or whitish near the center; smell not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea) with broadly attached gills, is generally smaller and doesn’t have a fibrous stem; Vermilion Waxcap (Hygrocybe miniata) has arched, more broadly attached gills and smaller spores.
Golden Waxcap (Hygrocybe flavescens)
Notes: one of the first Hygrocybe to appear in late spring/early summer
Habitat & Ecology: ecology uncertain; on the ground, on well-decayed wood, and in moss; deciduous and mixed forest, especially Beech; summer and fall
Cap: convex becoming flat; smooth; entire margin]; lemon yellow to golden yellow and fading to yellow at the margin; dry and shiny, viscid (thinly slimy) when wet
Gills: narrowly attached or notched; close to subdistant with short gills frequent; waxy; white to pale yellow
Stem: equal or tapering to base, furrowed and easily splitting; bright yellow, fading whiter; smooth; dry, greasy or slightly viscid
Flesh: thin, waxy, yellow; not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-a-likes: Hygrocybe acutoconica has a pointed cap and fibrillose stem.
Hygrophorus
Yellow-centered Waxcap (Hygrophorus flavodiscus)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; in humus or moss; under conifers, especially White Pine; fall
Cap: convex to plano-convex to flat; smooth; fibrillose margin; white with a yellow center; glutinous (thickly slimy!)
Gills: broadly attached to subdecurrent and covered by a hyaline, slimy partial veil; subdistantly spaced; waxy; white, pinkish when young
Stem: solid and equal; fibrillose to scaly; mostly white with some yellowing; glutinous
Flesh: white and firm; smell not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes:
Golden Speckled Waxcap (Hygrophorus chrysodon)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; on the ground; found in mixed forest, under conifers; late summer and fall
Cap: convex to flat with a knob; smooth and shiny; margin incurved at first and finely hairy; white with a dusting of yellow granules; glutinous
Gills: broadly attached to decurrent; subdistantly spaced; thick, waxy; white to cream-colored
Stem: equal, tapering to base; smooth and sometimes with yellow granules that can gather at the apex of the stem in an imperfect, ring-like zone; glutinous
Flesh: white, soft; smell not distinctive
Spore print:
Look-alikes:
Gliophorus
Parrot Mushroom (Gliophorus psittacina)
Cuphophyllus
Snowy Waxcap (Cuphophyllus virgineus)
Gloioxanthomyces
Humidicutis
Orange-gilled Waxcap (Humudicutis marginata)
Notes: only common waxcap with solid, orange-colored gills
Habitat & Ecology: ecology uncertain; on soil and humus; wet woods under conifers and deciduous trees; summer and early fall
Cap: conical to bell-shaped to flat, sometimes with a knob; smooth, not striate; orange-yellow to bright golden yellow; dry
Gills: attached (broad or narrow) or notched; distantly to subdistantly spaced; waxy; same color as cap
Stem: equal, sometimes furrowed, hollow; yellow and white at the base; smooth; dry
Flesh: yellow, thin; smell not distinctive – maybe faintly sweet or faintly acidic
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: Some Gliophorus species can have solid orange gills but are not conical, are not slimy, and often have other colors too.
Deceivers (Laccaria spp.)
Purple-and-white Deceiver or Purple-gilled Laccaria (Laccaria ochropurpurea)
Notes: medium to large mushroom, especially compared to other Laccaria species
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; grows in large numbers, on the ground and sometimes in open, grassy places; deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests – especially under oaks and beech but also in young White Pine plantations; summer and fall
Cap: convex to flat; smooth and then fibrillose when dry; margin enrolled at first, then upturned with age, and sometimes wavy; purplish brown when wet and gray-white when dry; dry
Gills: broadly attached; subdistant to distant; waxy and thick; deep purple
Stem: thick and solid, often curved; same coloring as cap; surface fibrous; dry
Flesh: thick, colored as cap; smell not distinctive
Spore print: white or lilac
Look-alikes: Viscid Violet Cort (Cortinarius iodes) is viscid or glutinous and has a rusty spore print; Blewits (Lepista nuda) also have a light spore print but grows on leaf litter, are stubbier and do not have gills that are darker than the rest of the fruit body.
Common Laccaria (Laccaria laccata)
Notes: huge variation in this species, so it likely is a species group
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; on the ground – grassy areas, wet places, sandy places, waste places, and open woods; under conifers and deciduous trees and a wide range of habitats; spring to fall
Cap: convex to flat sometimes with a depression; smooth at first, becoming scurfy and sometimes with radiating grooves; margin upturned with age; pink to orange-brown-red; dry and hygrophanous (color change as it loses or absorbs water)
Gills: broadly attached to subdecurrent; close to distant; thick, waxy; white/yellow-pink, flesh-colored, purple cast
Stem: long and slender – white mycelium at the base; color same as cap; smooth to roughened – fibrous and tough and becoming hollow; dry
Flesh: colored-like surface, thin; odor not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: Bicolored Deceiver (Laccaria bicolor) is under conifers and often in wet areas mixed with moss; Scurfy Twiglet…
Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; on the ground in shady, moist forests; deciduous forest, especially under beech and oaks; late spring to fall
Cap: convex to flat sometimes with a depression; smooth at first, becoming scurfy; margin even or inrolled; purple with a white cast; dry and hygrophanous (color change as it loses or absorbs water)
Gills: broadly attached to subdecurrent; close to distant; thick, waxy; dark purple
Stem: equal or swollen at the base, often bent and twisted, becomes hollow; color same as cap; smooth to roughened – fibrous and tough with white or lilac basal mycelium; dry
Flesh: purple/colored like cap and stem; smell not distinctive
Spore print: white to lilac
Look-alikes: Very similar to Common Laccaria (Laccaria laccata) except all its tissues are purple.
Bicolored Deceiver (Laccaria bicolor)
Notes: not as common as the other Laccaria species listed here – not found in many field guides…
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; on the ground or in moss; under conifers, especially White Pine; summer and fall
Cap: convex to flat sometimes depressed; roughened, finely fibrillose or scurfy; margin]; only a violet tinge compared to the other purple Laccarias, but mostly orange-brown to pinkish brown; dry
Gills: broadly attached; subdistant to distant; waxy; faintly purple and fading to pink flesh color
Stem: slightly swollen base with basal mycelium which is lilac colored when fresh, fading to white; fibrous and colored like cap; [moisture/viscidity]
Flesh: pale purple to white; smell not distinctive
Spore print: white
Look-alikes: All tissues of Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina) are purple.