The Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea) is the largest of the red waxcaps and one of the most striking fungi of old grassland. Its broad, blood-red cap can reach 10 cm or more, often with an irregular, wavy edge, and the greasy surface fades in patches to orange or yellow with age.
The gills are yellowish to red, and the stout, fibrous stem is yellow to red above and white at the base. It grows in unimproved grassland that has never been ploughed or fertilised, such as old pastures, lawns and churchyards, and fruits from late summer into early winter.
Because this habitat is disappearing, the Crimson Waxcap is an important indicator of high-quality waxcap grassland and is assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The smaller Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea) is more common, and the Splendid Waxcap (Hygrocybe splendidissima) has a smoother, often twisted stem. Please record it and leave it where it grows.
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Distribution
Widespread but uncommon and declining
Habitat
In unfertilised grassland, old cemeteries etc.
Etymology
Hygrocybe is Greek for 'wet head', from hygros, 'moist', and kybe, 'head'. punicea is Latin for 'crimson'.
Conservation
Cap
Greasy when damp, often fading in patches from blood-red to orange or yellow with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Conical, Umbonate |
| Surface | Smooth |
| Width | 3 - 15 cm |
Gills
The gills are adnexed and subdistant, yellow when young and becoming brownish-red as the fruit body matures. They often have a decurrent tooth.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Adnexed |
| Spacing | Subdistant |
Flesh
Pale yellow and waxy.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Not distinctive |
| Taste | Mild |
Stem
Stem 3-15 cm long and 5-20 mm wide, cylindrical and fibrillose, orange-yellow to yellow, with no ring. It is white at the base of the stem and typically dry to the touch, unlike the greasy cap.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 3 - 15 cm |
| Width | 5 - 20 mm |
| Texture | Fibrillose |
| Shape | Cylindric |
Spores
The spores are smooth and ellipsoid-oblong, often slightly constricted, and measure 8.5-11 x 4.5-6 μm.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Ellipsoid |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 8.5-11 x 4.5-6 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Hygrophoraceae
- ↳ Genus: Hygrocybe
Synonyms
- Agaricus puniceus Fr.
- Hygrocybe acutopunicea R. Haller Aar. & F.H. Møller
- Hygrophorus puniceus
- Hygrophorus puniceus (Fr.) Fr.
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2020) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 2. Geoffrey Kibby.
