in late summer and fall. Waxiness is a difficult feature to describe and sometimes hard to determine. Crushing a bit of the cap and gills between thumb and finger will usually produce a paraffin-like feel. The gills are attached to the stem. These species form mycorrhiza, often with conifers. Most are medium to large in size. Similar species in Tricholoma lack the waxy texture and usually have a notched gill attachment. If a mushroom does not key out, try the Tricholoma or Hygrocybe keys.
Hygrophorus pudorinus
Hygrophorus eburneus
Key to Hygrophorus
1. Cap pinkish with reddish or purple streaks; under conifers: Hygrophorus purpurascens (p. 68)
2. Cap tan with a pale margin; under conifers, especially hemlock: Hygrophorus tennesseensis (p. 70)
3. Cap yellow and white; glutinous; under pine in the fall: Hygrophorus flavodiscus (p. 6)
4. Cap blackish brown to dark olivaceous brown; glutinous; under pine in the fall: Hygrophorus fuligineus (p. 67)
5. Cap white; in broadleaf woods, often under oaks: Hygrophorus sordidus (p. 69)
6. Cap white; in conifer woods; with yellowish granules on the cap or stem: Hygrophorus chrysodon (p. 65)
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrophorus chrysodon (Batsch) Fr.
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Golden Speckled Wax Cap
FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae
CAP: Up to 3-1/2 in. wide; white, at times with a dusting of yellow or yellowish-orange granules on part or all; convex becoming broadly convex to flat, often with a low umbo; surface viscid when wet, shiny when dry, bald where no granules are present; margin finely hairy and turned under at first
FLESH: White; thick; soft; waxy; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: White to cream, sometimes yellowish, or edged with yellow; subdecurrent; subdistant; waxy; broad; edges even and thin; no partial veil
STEM: Up to 3-1/2 in. long; white; generally equal; stuffed; surface pruinose, usually with some yellow granules at the apex, lower portion glutinous
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; gregarious or scattered in mixed woods under conifers, often hemlock and white pine; can be found in disturbed areas such as roadsides, picnic areas in duff or grass; late summer and fall; fairly common
EDIBILITY: Edible; bland and generally considered mediocre
COMMENTS: The yellow granules can be missing but are usually present somewhere on the cap or stem. There are several white wax cap species, but the yellow granules set this one apart.
Hygrophorus chrysodon
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrophorus flavodiscus Frost
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Yellow Centered Wax Cap
FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae
CAP: Up to 3-1/2 in. wide; white with a yellow center, yellowish all over when young; convex to broadly convex and finally flat; surface bald, glutinous
FLESH: White; thick; firm; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: White or slightly pinkish when young; attached to the stem; subdistant; rather thick but tapering to a narrow edge; edges even; covered at first by a hyaline, glutinous partial veil
STEM: Up to 3 in. long; white or with yellowish areas; equal or occasionally tapering downward; solid; surface sheathed with a layer of gluten from the base to near the top of the stem, where it forms a ring-like zone; surface fibrillose under the gluten
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; single, scattered, or gregarious in humus or moss in conifer woods, usually associated with white pine; fall; common
EDIBILITY: Edible
COMMENTS: This late-season mushroom can be found under white pine in October and November. It often occurs near Hygrophorus fuligineus (p. 67), but it often fruits a bit later. Peeling or removing the slime with a dry cloth before cooking is recommended.
Hygrophorus flavodiscus
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hygrophorus fuligineus Frost
SYNONYM: None
COMMON NAME: Sooty Wax Cap
FAMILY: Hygrophoraceae
CAP: Up to 3-1/2 in. wide; blackish brown at first, becoming dark olivaceous brown or grayish, especially near the margin; orbicular, becoming convex and then flat; surface bald, covered with a layer of hyaline gluten
FLESH: White, tinted gray near the cap cuticle; thick; odor and taste not distinctive
GILLS: White or tinged pinkish; attached to subdecurrent; subdistant; edges even; covered at first with a cortina-like slime veil
STEM: Up to 3-1/2 in. long; white to pale brownish; equal or tapering slightly downward; solid; covered with a slime veil except at the apex, the veil terminates in a ring-like zone; above this zone the surface is silky to floccose
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; scattered to gregarious in duff or moss in conifer and mixed woods, usually associated with white pine; fall; common
EDIBILITY: Edible
COMMENTS:
