Appalachian Mushrooms. Walter E. Sturgeon

73)

      10. Cap dry or moist; not viscid; scarlet to orange; gills yellowish; not decurrent: Hygrocybe miniata (p. 74)

      1. Cap moist; viscid when wet; orange to yellowish orange; gills white or pale yellow: Hygrocybe flavescens (p. 78)

      12. Cap moist; orange to bright orangish yellow; gills colored like the cap: Humidicutis marginata var. concolor (p. 84)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrocybe cantharellus (Schwein.) Murrill

       SYNONYM: Hygrophorus cantharellus (Schwein.) Fr.

       COMMON NAME: Chanterelle Wax Cap

       FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae

      CAP: Up to 1-1/4 in. wide; convex becoming flattened, often with a central depression; scarlet to reddish orange or yellowish orange, fading in age, margin often yellowish; surface dry, tomentose to finely scaly; margin often scalloped or undulating at maturity

      FLESH: Yellowish or colored like the cap; thin; odor not distinctive, or at times of raw potatoes; taste not distinctive

      GILLS: Creamy yellow to orange yellow, edges sometimes paler than the faces; subdistant to distant; subdecurrent to decurrent; waxy; thick but with a sharp edge; no partial veil

      STEM: Up to 3-1/4 in. long, typically much longer than the cap width; scarlet to reddish orange or yellowish orange, base yellow or white; equal or tapering downward; cylindrical or compressed; fragile; stuffed or hollow; surface dry or slightly tacky, smooth, bald, dull to satiny

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Probably symbiotic with mosses and possibly other plants; scattered to gregarious in moss, soil, well-decayed wood, and humus in broadleaf and mixed woods, bogs, and lawns; summer and early fall; common

      EDIBILITY: Edible but of little value owing to its small size and thin flesh

      COMMENTS: Compare with Hygrocybe miniata (p. 74), which is a common species that has a shorter stem and whose gills do not run down the stem. Hygrocybe turunda (not illustrated) is a similar bog species that has dark, erect hairs on the center of the cap. It is possible that Hygrocybe cantharellus represents a complex of very similar species.

       Hygrocybe cantharellus

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrocybe miniata (P. Kumm.) Fr.

       SYNONYM: Hygrophorus miniatus (Fr.) Fr.

       COMMON NAME: Vermillion Wax Cap

       FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae

      CAP: Up to 1-1/4 in. wide; scarlet to reddish orange, fading to orange; convex to broadly convex, becoming flat, often with a central depression; surface dry or moist, not viscid, at times becoming fibrillose or slightly scurfy

      FLESH: Pale yellow, orange, reddish; thin; odor and taste not distinctive

      GILLS: Variable in color, usually yellow but may be reddish or whitish; broadly attached to the stem; subdistant to distant; thick; waxy; edges even; no partial veil

      STEM: Up to 3 in. long; red, orange, or yellow; equal or tapering toward the yellowish base; may be compressed; surface moist, not viscid

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Considered to be saprobic but recent studies indicate a possible association with mosses and other plants; gregarious to scattered on the ground, well-decayed wood, and in moss; summer and fall; common

      EDIBILITY: Reported as edible; the author has not tried it

      COMMENTS: This is one of the most common reddish wax caps. There are many others. None are considered choice edibles. Compare with Hygrocybe cantharellus (p. 73), whose gills extend down the stem.

       Hygrocybe miniata

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrocybe purpureofolia (H. E. Bigelow) Courtec.

       SYNONYM: Hygrophorus purpureofolius H. E. Bigelow

       COMMON NAME: Lavender Gilled Wax Cap

       FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae

      CAP: Up to 2 in. wide; dark orangish red, fading to bright yellowish orange, paler at the margin; conic, becoming convex to nearly flat, with a low, broad umbo; surface bald or with small scales, moist but not tacky or slimy

      FLESH: White; thin; waxy; odor and taste not distinctive

      GILLS: Lavender to purplish or yellowish orange in age; attached to subdecurrent; subdistant; waxy; edges even; no partial veil

      STEM: Up to 3 in. long; yellow to orangish red, base with whitish or violet tints; equal or enlarged downward; hollow; often compressed; surface bald, moist, but not viscid

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Considered to be saprobic, but recent studies indicate a possible association with mosses and other plants; gregarious to scattered on the ground, on well-decayed wood, and in moss in broadleaf and mixed woods; summer and fall; uncommon

      EDIBILITY: Unknown

      COMMENTS: The combination of a reddish-orange cap and purplish gills make this a distinctive and striking species.

       Hygrocybe purpureofolia

      Photo by William Roody

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrocybe appalachianensis (Hesler and A. H. Sm.) Kronaw

       SYNONYM: Hygrophorus appalachianensis Hesler and A. H. Sm.

       COMMON NAME: Appalachian Wax Cap

       FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae

      CAP: Up to 2-1/2 in. wide; bright red to deep purplish red, fading to orangish yellow, often with a pale margin; convex to flat, with a depressed center; margin turned under at first, with a yellow edging; surface moist, not viscid, not striate, fibrillose to minutely scaly

      FLESH: Yellow tinged orange; odor and taste not distinctive

      GILLS: Colored like the cap with yellowish edges; attached to subdecurrent; subdistant to distant; fairly broad; edges even or slightly saw toothed; no partial veil

      STEM: Up to 3 in. long; mostly colored like the cap, base yellowish; equal; hollow; compressed at times; surface bald, not viscid

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Considered to be saprobic,