Hygrocybe coccinea

29 October 2005 Berkshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Species

Hygrocybe coccinea

Common Name

Scarlet Wax Cap

Cap

Convex, with translucent radial lines at the margin, surface slippery, bright red, sometimes with an orange margin, to about 6 cm across

Gills

Adnate, with a decurrent tooth, yellow, then red with a yellow edge

Stem

Equal, cylindrical or flattened, surface dry, smooth, hollow, to about 6 mm wide and 7 cm high

Flesh

Concolorous with the surface or paler, firm

Smell

Indistinct

Taste

Indistinct

Season

Autumn

Distribution

Frequent

Habitat

Unimproved grassland

Spore Print

White

Microscopic Features

Spores ellipsoidal or oblong, smooth (7.5-10) x (4.5-5.5) µm²

Edibility

Edible, good

Notes

Take care not to confuse with the more robust H. punicea

Additional Photographs

20 October 2005 Berkshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

9 November 2008 West Sussex. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin