The Pink Waxcap (Porpolomopsis calyptriformis), also known as the Ballerina, is one of the most beautiful fungi of old grassland. Its pale pink, silky cap is sharply conical at first, then the edge splits and flares outwards like a ballerina's skirt. The gills are white to very pale pink, and the slender white stem, often tinged pink, is fibrous and splits easily.
It grows in unimproved grassland, such as old meadows, churchyards and cemeteries, from August into November. It is rare but can be locally frequent, and like other waxcaps it marks grassland that has never been ploughed or fertilised. It is listed as Vulnerable on the global Red List.
The Snowy Waxcap (Cuphophyllus virgineus) is white with a broader cap. The Pink Waxcap is too rare and too important to pick, so it is best recorded and left in place.
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Distribution
Rare but locally frequent
Habitat
In unimproved grassland, meadows and cemeteries
Etymology
Porpolomopsis means 'resembling Porpoloma', a related genus. calyptriformis is Latin for 'shaped like a hood', after the conical cap.
Conservation
Cap
Pale pink and silky, sharply conical, then splitting and flaring at the edge.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Conical |
| Surface | Smooth |
| Width | 2.5 - 10 cm |
| Margin | Split |
Gills
White to very pale pink, fading with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Free, Adnexed |
Flesh
White, faintly pink just under the cap skin.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Taste | Mild |
Stem
The stem is white, often flushed pinkish-buff towards the top, elongate, fusiform and tapering. It is smooth and dry, fibrous and often splitting, with no ring.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Tapering |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Type | inamyloid |
| Shape | Ellipsoid, Oblong |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 6-9 x 4-7 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Hygrophoraceae
- ↳ Genus: Porpolomopsis
Synonyms
- Agaricus calyptriformis Berk.
- Agaricus calyptriformis Berk. & Broome
- Humidicutis calyptriformis (Berk.) Vizzini & Ercole
- Hygrocybe calyptraeformis (Berk. & Br.) Fayod
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis (Berk. & Broome) Fayod
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis (Berk.) Fayod
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis f. calyptriformis
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis f. calyptriformis (Berk.) Fayod
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis f. nivea (Cooke) Bon
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis var. calyptriformis (Berk.) Fayod
- Hygrocybe calyptriformis var. domingensis Lodge & S.A. Cantrell
- Hygrophorus calyptraeformis Berk. & Br.
- Hygrophorus calyptriformis (Berk.) Berk.
- Hygrophorus calyptriformis var. niveus Cooke
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.
Genus Porpolomopsis
No other species found in this genus.
