Hygrocybe coccinea    (Schaeff.:Fr.) P. Kumm. 

common name(s) : Scarlet Waxcap, Scarlet Wax Cap 

New classification: Basidiomycota/Agaricomycotina/Agaricomycetes/Agaricomycetidae/Agaricales/Hygrophoraceae  
Former classification: Basidiomycota/Homobasidiomycetes/Agaricomycetideae/Tricholomatales/Hygrophoraceae [sub-genus:Pseudohygrocybe section:Pseudohygrocybe sub-section:Coccineinae]  

synonyms: Hygrophorus coccineus 
(unconfirmed synonyms: Hygrocybe coccineus)  

edibility : inedible

potential confusions with Hygrocybe coccinea toxicity of Hygrocybe coccinea genus Hygrocybe  

The cap is bright red then yellowish-ochre. The cap surface is smooth, viscid on young specimens.

The stem is cherry red to orange-red, without ring.

The flesh is red to orange, unchanging; its taste is faint; the odour is faint; its texture is fibrous.

The gills are orange red then orange yellow, adnate to decurrent, distant . The spore print is white. This species is saprophytic. It grows on the ground.

The fruiting period takes place from September to November.
Dimensions: width of cap approximately 4 cm (between 1 and 10 cm)
  height of stem approximately 5 cm (between 2 and 8 cm)
  thickness of stem (at largest section) approximately 6 mm (between 2 and 10 mm)

Chemical tests : none.

Distinctive features : entirely cherry-red, later turning yellow; yellow stem base

Hygrocybe coccinea is rare and confined in the forest of Rambouillet, and is occasional, more generally speaking .
here should be the distribution map of Hygrocybe coccinea in the forest of Rambouillet
Above : distribution map of Hygrocybe coccinea in the forest of Rambouillet



page updated on 14/01/18