Hygrocybe virginea - Snowy Waxcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

A frequent species, this ivory-white waxcap occurs in grassland that is regularly mown or kept short by sheep and sometimes in open woodland and in . It occurs in areas where the soil is acidic. This inedible waxcap is sometimes overlooked when it is hidden low down among the autumn grass of churchyards and pastures.

There are several other very pale members of the waxcap family, and identifying them usually requires microscopic examination.

The very widely spaced gills of this little mushroom and the almost invariably wavy form of its stipe are helpful distinguishing features.

Identification Guide

	Cap 2 to 6cm in diameter, ivory-white and often tinged with yellow, the caps are convex at first, expanding to become almost flat but usually with a slight umbo. Somewhat greasy on the surface, the flesh of the waxy caps is almost white.
	Gills The thick, waxy gills are very widely spaced and have decurrent attachment to the stipe. With age the gills become more cap coloured.
Stem	Slender and often curved, white at the top and often a little darker towards the base, the stems range from 2 to 6mm in diameter and 3 to 7cm tall.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	Cropped grassland not subject to artificial fertiliser treatment; also churchyards and woodland clearings; favouring acidic soil.
Season	August to November.
Occurrence	Infrequent
Similar species	Hygrophorus eburneus is very similar but its gills are more closely spaced and it is much more slimy than Hygrocybe virgineus.