An infrequent species, this ivory-white waxcap occurs in open woodland and in grassland that is regularly mown or kept short by sheep. It occurs in areas where the soil is acidic. This inedible waxcap is sometimes overlooked because it gets buried in leaf litter or 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 with certainty usually requires microscopic examination; however, the very widely spaced gills of this little mushroom and the almost invariably wavy form of its stipe are helpful distinguishing features.
Cap
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2 to 6 cm 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
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The thick, waxy gills are very widely spaced and have decurrent attachment to the stipe.
With age the gills become more cap coloured. |
Stipe |
Slender and often curved, white at the top and often a little darker towards the base, the stems range from 2 to 6 mm in diameter and 3 to 7 cm 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 Camarophyllus virgineus.
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