Hygrocybe laetissima

Last updated

Hygrocybe laetissima
Cherry-Red Waxy Cap imported from iNaturalist photo 114735570 on 31 January 2024.jpg
Marin County, California, 2021
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hygrophoraceae
Genus: Hygrocybe
Species:
H. laetissima
Binomial name
Hygrocybe laetissima
A.H. Sm. & Hesler, 1942

Hygrocybe laetissima, also known as the cherry-red waxy cap, is a species of gilled mushroom found in North America. [1] It appears to flourish in association with redwood forests. [2] [3] The authors of Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast note that this waxy cap is superficially similar to other waxy caps, including Hygrocybe splendidissima , Hygrocybe punicea , Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens , and Hygrocybe marchii . [2] It also overlaps somewhat in range and appearance with Hygrocybe coccinea . [4] This one has the coloration of a Rainier cherry. Not recommended as an edible mushroom because close cousins (namely, punicea) have made people sick. [2] This mushroom species was first described by Alexander H. Smith and L. R. Hesler. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Hygrophorus</i> Genus of fungi

Hygrophorus is a genus of agarics in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called "woodwaxes" in the UK or "waxy caps" in North America, basidiocarps are typically fleshy, often with slimy caps and lamellae that are broadly attached to decurrent. All species are ground-dwelling and ectomycorrhizal and are typically found in woodland. Around 100 species are recognized worldwide. Fruit bodies of several species are considered edible and are sometimes offered for sale in local markets.

<i>Hygrocybe</i> Genus of fungi

Hygrocybe is a genus of agarics in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called waxcaps in English, basidiocarps are often brightly coloured and have dry to waxy caps, white spores, and smooth, ringless stems. In Europe they are characteristic of old, unimproved grasslands which are a declining habitat, making many Hygrocybe species of conservation concern. Four of these waxcap-grassland species, Hygrocybe citrinovirens, H. punicea, H. spadicea, and H. splendidissima, are assessed as globally "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Elsewhere waxcaps are more typically found in woodlands. Most are ground-dwelling and all are believed to be biotrophs. Around 150 species are recognized worldwide. Fruit bodies of several Hygrocybe species are considered edible and are sometimes offered for sale in local markets.

<i>Hygrocybe punicea</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe punicea is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of crimson waxcap. The species has a European distribution, occurring mainly in agriculturally unimproved grassland. Threats to its habitat have resulted in the species being assessed as globally "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Records of H. punicea from North America, East Asia, and Australia require further research to see if they represent the same species.

<i>Hygrocybe coccinea</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe coccinea, sometimes called the scarlet hood, scarlet waxcap or righteous red waxy cap, is a colourful member of the mushroom genusHygrocybe. These waxcaps are found across the Northern Hemisphere from China and Japan to Europe and North America. The small bright red mushroom is a familiar sight in unimproved grasslands in Europe in late summer and autumn, and woodlands in North America in winter.

<i>Hygrocybe virescens</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe virescens, commonly known as the lime-green waxy cap, is a species of agaric mushroom in the family Hygrophoraceae. The lime-green colored mushroom has a limited geographical distribution, having been reported only from California, Washington, and Mexico.

<i>Hygrophorus agathosmus</i> Species of fungus

Hygrophorus agathosmus, commonly known as the gray almond waxy cap or the almond woodwax, is a species of fungus in the family Hygrophoraceae. It was first described by Elias Magnus Fries in 1815; Fries gave it its current name in 1838. A widespread species, it is distributed in the United States, Europe, Africa, and India, and is found growing under spruce and pine in mixed forests. The fruit bodies are characterized by a light grayish cap that measures up to 8 cm (3.1 in) in diameter, waxy gills, a dry stem, and the distinct odor of bitter almonds. An edible but bland-tasting mushroom, extracts of the fruit bodies have been shown in laboratory tests to have antimicrobial activity against various bacteria that are pathogenic to humans.

<i>Lactarius argillaceifolius</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius argillaceifolius is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The mushrooms produced by the fungus have convex to flattened drab lilac-colored caps that are up to 18 cm (7.1 in) wide. The cream-colored gills are closely spaced together and extend slightly down the length of the stem, which is up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long by 3.5 cm (1.4 in) thick. The mushroom produces an off-white latex when injured that stains the mushroom tissue brownish.

<i>Lactarius vinaceorufescens</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius vinaceorufescens, commonly known as the yellow-staining milkcap or the yellow-latex milky, is a poisonous species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. It produces mushrooms with pinkish-cinnamon caps up to 12 cm (4.7 in) wide held by pinkish-white stems up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long. The closely spaced whitish to pinkish buff gills develop wine-red spots in age. When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex that rapidly turns bright sulfur-yellow. The species, common and widely distributed in North America, grows in the ground in association with conifer trees. There are several other Lactarius species that bear resemblance to L. vinaceorufescens, but most can be distinguished by differences in staining reactions, macroscopic characteristics, or habitat.

<i>Hygrophorus bakerensis</i> Species of fungus

Hygrophorus bakerensis, commonly known as the Mt. Baker waxy cap, the brown almond waxy cap or the tawny almond waxy cap, is a species of fungus in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is characterized by its medium to large, relatively slender-statured fruit bodies with an almond odor, and growth often on or near rotting conifer wood. The slimy cap is brown in the center and cream to white near its curved edges. The gills and the stem are white, and in moist environments are often covered with droplets of a translucent liquid. The mushroom is known only from the United States, where it is common in coniferous forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was initially collected in Washington State on Mount Baker, a volcano. Although edible, the mushroom is not considered to be of high quality.

<i>Cuphophyllus pratensis</i> Species of fungus

Cuphophyllus pratensis is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of meadow waxcap in the UK and in North America has variously been called the meadow waxy cap, salmon waxy cap, and butter meadowcap. The species has a widespread, mainly temperate distribution, occurring in grassland in Europe and in woodland elsewhere. The basidiocarps are edible and are occasionally collected and sold commercially.

<i>Tubaria punicea</i> Species of fungus

Tubaria punicea is a rare species of agaric fungus in the family Tubariaceae. It is found on the west coast of North America, where it grows on the bases and in hollows of madrone.

<i>Hygrocybe cantharellus</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe cantharellus, commonly known as chanterelle waxy cap, is an agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is found in eastern North America and Australia. The European Hygrocybe lepida was previously referred to this name, but is now known to be distinct.

<i>Hygrocybe splendidissima</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe splendidissima, is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of Splendid Waxcap. The species has a European distribution, occurring mainly in agriculturally unimproved grassland. Threats to its habitat have resulted in the species being assessed as globally "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

<i>Hygrocybe appalachianensis</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe appalachianensis, commonly known as the Appalachian waxy cap, is a gilled fungus of the waxcap family. It is found in the eastern United States, where it fruits singly, in groups, or clusters on the ground in deciduous and mixed forests. The species, described in 1963 from collections made in the Appalachian Mountains, was originally classified in the related genus Hygrophorus. It was transferred to Hygrocybe in 1998, in which it has been proposed as the type species of section Pseudofirmae.

<i>Cuphophyllus canescens</i> Species of fungus

Cuphophyllus canescens is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae, known from North America. In its wide sense it has been assessed as globally "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

<i>Hygrocybe flavifolia</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe flavifolia is a mushroom of the waxcap genus Hygrocybe. Found in North America, it was described as new to science by Alexander H. Smith and Lexemuel Ray Hesler in 1942 as a species of Hygrophorus. Rolf Singer transferred it to Hygrocybe in 1945.

<i>Hygrocybe citrinovirens</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe citrinovirens is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of Citrine Waxcap. The species has a European distribution, occurring mainly in agriculturally unimproved grassland. Threats to its habitat have resulted in the species being assessed as globally "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

<i>Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens</i> Species of mushroom

Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens, commonly known as the orange waxcap, is a gilled fungus in the family Hygrophoraceae. It mainly occurs in Europe, but is also found in Siberia, and on both the East and West coasts of North America. It is uncertain if the continental ecotypes are in fact conspecific and are sometimes treated as distinct species.

<i>Amanita silvicola</i> Species of fungus

Amanita silvicola, also known as the Woodland Amanita or Kauffman's Forest Amanita, is a species of Amanita found in coniferous woods the Pacific Northwest and California.

References

  1. "Hygrocybe laetissima (Cherry-Red Waxy Cap)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  2. 1 2 3 Siegel, Noah; Schwarz, Christian (2016-08-09). Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. p. 293. ISBN   978-1-60774-817-5.
  3. "Mushrooms of Muir Woods". Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  4. "Hygrocybe laetissima (Waxy Caps) | Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz". ffsc.us. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  5. Hesler, L. R.; Hesler, L. R.; Smith, Alexander H. (1963). North American species of Hygrophorus. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. pp. 204–206. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.61976. LCCN   62020535. OCLC   167605.