A common waxcap of cropped pasture and churchyards, Hygrocybe chlorophana is an autumn and early winter species. These lovely yellow wax caps are generally found in small trooping groups. They are often to be found in churchyards, but sheep-grazed upland commons are generally much better places to try. Although considered edible, they are easily confused with inedible yellow wax caps.
Cap |
The cap, initially domed, is yellow and slimy; it becomes broadly umbonate or even flat with age and grows to between 2 and 4 cm in diameter. This waxcap does not blacken either with age or when bruised. The thin cap flesh is yellow. |
Gills |
Yellow, becoming a paler lemon-yellow as the fruit body ages, the gills are adnate, broad and fairly distant. |
Stipe |
Coloured as the cap, the slender stipe (typically 2 to 3 mm diameter) is viscid and has no ring; its flesh is yellowish and solid. |
Spore print |
White. |
Odour/taste |
Not distinctive. |
Habitat |
Closely cropped or mown grassland where artificial fertilisers are not spread. |
Season |
Summer and Autumn. |
Occurrence |
Infrequent. |
Similar species |
- Hygrocybe citrina is very similar but typically smaller and its stem becomes hollow with age.
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