Hygrocybe miniata

Last updated

Hygrocybe miniata
Hygrocybe miniata - Ferndale Park.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hygrophoraceae
Genus: Hygrocybe
Species:
H. miniata
Binomial name
Hygrocybe miniata
Synonyms

Hygrocybe strangulata(P.D.Orton) Svrcek

Hygrocybe miniata
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Convex cap icon.svgDepressed cap icon.svg Cap is convex or depressed
Adnate gills icon2.svgDecurrent gills icon2.svg Hymenium is adnate or decurrent
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is white
Mycomorphbox Question.pngEdibility is unknown

Hygrocybe miniata, commonly known as the vermilion waxcap or miniature waxy cap, [1] is a small, bright red or red-orange mushroom of the waxcap genus Hygrocybe . It is a cosmopolitan species, that is found worldwide. In Europe, it is found in fields, on sandy heaths, or grassy commons in the autumn. [2] It is found in rainforest and eucalypt forest as well as heathland in Australia.

Contents

Taxonomy

Hygrocybe miniata was first described by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries as Agaricus miniatus in 1821, before being renamed by the same author in 1838 as Hygrophorus miniatus. German mycologist Paul Kummer then assigned it to the genus Hygrocybe in 1871. The specific epithet miniata comes from ‘miniat’, which means "painted with red lead". [1]

Description

The red-to-yellow cap is convex initially, but later flattens and becomes depressed with a wavy edges; it is hygrophanous with small scales which can be seen with a magnifying glass. [3] The centre of mature fruiting bodies is noticeably scurfy, or scaly. This is a feature that is best seen on dry specimens, that have not been rained on. The cap colour is scarlet-orange with a yellow striate margin, and is 0.5–3.5 cm in diameter. The bare stem is often long, (up to 3 times the cap diameter) and tapering towards the base, with a tendency to flatten. It is the same colour as the cap, or slightly paler, with a white base. [2] The gills are orange, adnate (with a broad attachment to the stem) or slightly decurrent; widely spaced, and somewhat notched. The flesh is orange, and is devoid of any odour. The spore print is white, and the ellipsoid spores measure 7–9 x 4–5 μm. [2] [4]

Similar species

A very similar (only recently described) species, H. helobi (Arnolds) Bon, appears earlier in the season; it prefers less acidic soils, and smells of garlic. [5]

Hygrocybe mollis, H. moseri, H. strangulata are very similar and some may be synonyms. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Hygrocybe miniata is a cosmopolitan species, having been recorded in most of the temperate zones. It has been collected from Britain, Europe, America, [1] and the equivalent zones in the Southern Hemisphere such as eastern and southern Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. [6]

In Britain it appears in autumn, particularly in frost-free periods, and prefers sandy heaths, grassy clearings, or unimproved fields. [2] It is often seen in the company of mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella). [5]

In Australia, it can be found in temperate to subtropical rainforest and eucalypt forest as well as heathland. Fruiting bodies may appear in groups among the leaf litter from January to June. [6]

Edibility

Though its edibility is unclear, it is considered nonpoisonous. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Laccaria laccata</i> Species of fungus

Laccaria laccata, commonly known as the deceiver, lackluster laccaria, or waxy laccaria, is a white-spored species of small edible mushroom found throughout North America and Europe. It is a highly variable mushroom, and can look quite washed out, colorless and drab, but when younger it often assumes red, pinkish brown, and orange tones. The species is often considered by mushroom collectors to be a 'mushroom weed' because of its abundance and plain stature.

<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 conica</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe conica is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. In the UK it has been given the recommended English name of blackening waxcap, since all parts of the basidiocarp blacken with age. In North America it is commonly known as the witch's hat, conical wax cap or conical slimy cap. Hygrocybe conica is known to be a complex of at least eleven closely related species and as such is widespread in Europe, North America, Asia, and elsewhere.

<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>Porpolomopsis lewelliniae</i> Species of fungus

Porpolomopsis lewelliniae, commonly known as the mauve splitting wax-cap, is a gilled fungus of the waxcap family found in wet forests of eastern Australia and New Zealand. The small mauve- or lilac-coloured mushrooms are fairly common and appear in moss or leaf litter on the forest floor in autumn, and are biotrophic. The key distinguishing feature is the splitting of the cap dividing down the middle of the individual gills.

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

Hygrocybe aurantipes is a gilled fungus of the waxcap family found in a few scattered locations in wet forests in eastern Australia. It is a distinctive small mushroom with a 2–4 cm diameter olive-brown cap and golden-yellow stipe and gills, not easily confused with any other species. Known only from Lane Cove Bushland Park in Sydney's suburban Lower North Shore, Hazelbrook and Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains, it has been designated as vulnerable as defined by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, by the New South Wales Government.

<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 austropratensis</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe austropratensis is a gilled fungus of the waxcap family found in a few scattered locations in dry sclerophyll forests in eastern Australia. It is a small mushroom with a 1.4–3 cm diameter pale orange or orange-brown cap and buff-coloured stipe and gills. It is known only from near Sydney, Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains, and Victoria.

<i>Macrolepiota clelandii</i> Species of mushroom-forming fungus

Macrolepiota clelandii, commonly known as the slender parasol or graceful parasol, is a species of mushroom-forming fungus in the family Agaricaceae. The species is found in Australia and New Zealand, where it fruits singly or in small groups on the ground in eucalypt woodlands, parks, and roadsides. It is a tall mushroom up to roughly 20 cm (8 in), with a broad cap covered with distinctive rings of dark brown scales. The whitish gills on the cap underside are closely spaced and free from attachment to the slender stipe, which has a loose ring on its upper half, and a bulbous base. The edibility of the mushroom is not known with certainty, but closely related parasol mushrooms are edible and some are very sought after.

<i>Entoloma rodwayi</i> Species of fungus

Entoloma rodwayi, known as the green stem pinkgill, is a species of fungus in the Entolomataceae family of mushrooms. A yellowish green mushroom with pink gills and spores, it is found in wet forests of Tasmania.

<i>Clavaria fragilis</i> Species of fungus

Clavaria fragilis, commonly known as fairy fingers, white worm coral, or white spindles, is a species of fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It is synonymous with Clavaria vermicularis. The fungus is the type species of the genus Clavaria and is a typical member of the clavarioid or club fungi. It produces tubular, unbranched, white basidiocarps that typically grow in clusters. The fruit bodies can reach dimensions of 15 cm (5.9 in) tall by 0.5 cm (0.2 in) thick. Clavaria fragilis is a saprobic species, growing in woodland litter or in old, unimproved grassland. It is widespread throughout temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere, but has also been reported from Australia and South Africa. The fungus is edible, but insubstantial and flavorless. There are several other small white coral-like fungi with which C. fragilis may be confused.

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

Hygrocybe chlorophana is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of golden waxcap in the UK. The species has a largely north temperate distribution, occurring in grassland in Europe and in woodland in North America and northern Asia; it has also been reported from mountainous areas of southern Australia. It typically produces basidiocarps in the autumn. In a few European countries, H. chlorophana is of conservation concern, appearing on national red lists of threatened fungi.

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

Cuphophyllus virgineus is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. Its recommended English common name is snowy waxcap in the UK. The species has a largely north temperate distribution, occurring in grassland in Europe and in woodland in North America and northern Asia, but is also known from Australia. It typically produces basidiocarps in the autumn.

<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>Gliophorus irrigatus</i> Species of fungus

Gliophorus irrigatus is a species of agaric in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of slimy waxcap in the UK. The species is widespread in temperate regions, occurring in grassland in Europe and in woodland in North America and elsewhere.

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

Hygrocybe lanecovensis is an Australian mushroom of the waxcap genus Hygrocybe. An endangered species, it is found only at Lane Cove Bushland Park in suburban Sydney.

<i>Humidicutis mavis</i> Species of fungus

Humidicutis mavis is a gilled fungus of the waxcap family. It is found in Australia, Borneo, and New Zealand where the translucent white fungi grows from the ground to a height of 80 mm and a width of 50 mm.

<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>Hygrocybe flavescens</i> Species of fungus

Hygrocybe flavescens, commonly known as the golden waxy cap, is a species of Hygrocybe described from Michigan. It is considered nonpoisonous to humans. The species can be found in various forests and woodlands.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms Demystified (Second ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   978-0-89815-169-5. LCCN   86005917.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Phillips, Roger (2006). "Mushrooms with Gills". In Frith-Macdonald, Candida (ed.). Mushrooms. Pan MacMillan. p. 74. ISBN   978-0-330-44237-4.
  3. 1 2 Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 65. ISBN   978-0-88192-935-5.
  4. Courtecuisse, Régis; Duhem, Bernard (1995). Mushrooms & Toadstools of Britain & Europe. Collins Field Guides. Harper Collins. ISBN   978-0-00-220025-7. OCLC   34050438.
  5. 1 2 Læssøe, Thomas (1998). Mushrooms (flexi bound). Dorling Kindersley. ISBN   978-0-7513-1070-2.
  6. 1 2 Young, A.M. (2005). Fungi of Australia: Hygrophoraceae. Canberra, ACT: Australian Biological Resources Study/CSIRO Publishing. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-643-09195-5.
  7. Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 63. ISBN   978-0-7627-3109-1.