Hygrophorus hypothejus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hygrophoraceae
Genus: Hygrophorus
Species:
H. hypothejus
Binomial name
Hygrophorus hypothejus
Fr. (Fr.), 1838
Synonyms[1]

Agaricus hypothejus Fr. 1821
Limacium hypothejum (Fr.) P. Kumm., 1871
Hygrophorus aureus Arrh., 1863
Limacium aureum (Arrh.) Ricken, 1910

Hygrophorus hypothejus, commonly known as the olive-brown waxy cap,[2] or herald of the winter, is an edible species of fungus in the genus Hygrophorus native to Europe. It appears in late autumn in coniferous forests, often with the first frosts.

Taxonomy

Elias Magnus Fries described this species in 1821 as Agaricus hypothejus, before placing it in the genus Hygrophorus in 1838. Its species name is derived from the Ancient Greek words hypo and theios "sulphur yellow underneath". It has the common name of herald of the winter as it appears in autumn with the onset of the first overnight frosts.[3] Alternate names are late fall waxy cap in the United States,[4] and yellow-gilled waxcap.[5]

Description

The cap measures 3–6 cm (1+1⁄8–2+3⁄8 in) across, is yellowish to olive brown with a dark center and slimy surface,[3][6] and has a rolled margin when young, flattening and becoming more funnel-shaped as it ages.[7] The yellow gills are decurrent, and the flesh is pale yellow, turning orange-red when bruised. The slender stipe is 4–7 cm (1+5⁄8–2+3⁄4 in) tall and 0.7–1.4 cm (1⁄4–1⁄2 in) wide.[8] The colour can become more intense with the onset of frosts.[4] The spore print is white and the oval spores measure 7–9 x 4–5 micrometres.[8]

Distribution and habitat

The mushroom grows in coniferous forests, appearing in October and November,[3] occasionally December. Though mushrooms may be abundant, they are often hard to spot among the pine needles.[7] They often appear in big groups of individuals and clusters.[6]

Edibility

It is edible but of variable quality as some specimens may be slimy.[3][7][8]

Similar species

Hygrophorus hypothejus could be confused with the slimy spike cap (Gomphidius glutinosus), though the gills of the latter separate easily from the cap (unlike the herald of winter).[5] Hygrophorus speciosus is also similar.[6]

References

Hygrophorus hypothejus
View the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following list
Gills on hymenium
Cap is convex or umbonate
Hymenium is decurrent or adnate
Stipe is bare
Spore print is white
Edibility is edible
  1. ↑ "Fungorum synonymy: Hygrophorus hypothejus". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Thiers, Harry D.; Arora, David (September 1980). "Mushrooms Demystified". Mycologia. 72 (5): 1054. doi:10.2307/3759750. ISSN 0027-5514.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Nilson S, Persson O. (1977). Fungi of Northern Europe 1: Larger Fungi (Excluding Gill-Fungi). Penguin. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-14-063005-8.
  4. 1 2 Roody WC (2003). Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 141–42. ISBN 9780813128139.
  5. 1 2 Lamaison J-L, Polese J-M. (2005). The Great Encyclopedia of Mushrooms. Cologne, Germany: Könemann. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-8331-1239-3.
  6. 1 2 3 Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 69, 71. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
  7. 1 2 3 Haas H. (1969). The Young Specialist Looks at Fungi. London, UK: Burke. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-222-79409-3.
  8. 1 2 3 Phillips R. (2006). Mushrooms. London, UK: Pan MacMillan. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-330-44237-4.
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