|
| Species of the Month - October 2014 Crimson Waxcap Hygrocybe punicea
The main features to look at in order to identify a waxcap are as follows (in rough order of importance)
*"dry" means not slimy, sticky or greasy. In wet weather
no waxcap will be dry but you can generally tell whether it is merely
wet through rain or whether it has a viscid surface. Equally,
after prolonged dry or sunny weather, sticky surfaces can dry out, and
the best approach then is to check a young fruitbody which has been
sheltered from the sun by an older one above it or by vegetation.
Though characteristic of acid grasslands, the one in this photo by Sallie Jack was on the Lismore limestone. The features listed above apply to the Crimson Waxcap as follows:
The most
important features of the Crimson Waxcap are the large crimson conical
cap and the streaky stem. Coupled with the ascending gills these
are enough to identify it. Possible confusion species are
discussed below.
These pictures show a Crimson Waxcap whose cap colour has bleached out
due to weather and age. It is still easily identified by the rich
colours of gills and stem which have been sheltered from the elements by
the cap. The very streaky stem surface and ascending gills leave
one in no doubt that this is Hygrocybe punicea. The most likely confusion species are the Scarlet Waxcap (H coccinea), which is very common in our area, and the Splendid Waxcap (H splendidissima), which is found occasionally. The Scarlet Waxcap has the red, yellow and orange stem colours blending smoothly into each other without any of the streaky effect of the Crimson Waxcap. This alone is enough to separate them. In addition, the Scarlet Waxcap has a rounded (not conical) cap coloured scarlet rather than crimson, and its gills go straight across to meet the stem. The Splendid Waxcap has similar colours and cap shape to the Crimson Waxcap and its stem is slightly streaky but not as streaky as the Crimson Waxcap stem. It has a dry cap and smells of honey when drying. The stem is often compressed or double. If your specimen has a dry (not sticky or greasy) cap and a slightly streaky stem, it may be the Splendid Waxcap which is an excellent find. Take a piece home to dry out and see if it smells of honey; the smell is really strong and easy to detect. If this is absent, you probably have the Crimson Waxcap. Stems as
streaky as those in the pictures above, and the one below, have to be
Crimson Waxcap.
Jan Hamilton's photo of a Crimson Waxcap shows the very streaky stem and ascending gills of a reddish orange colour. Note the gill edge is a paler, yellow, colour. The
Crimson Waxcap is regarded as an indicator species for unimproved
grasslands. According to David Boertmann, it is exclusively found
in sites with a very long continuity as unfertilised grasslands. (The
Genus Hygrocybe, 1995) It cannot survive if any fertiliser is
applied, or if the land use is changed in any of the many other ways
that are affecting these grasslands.
By filling in this form you agree that the information contained in this form may be collated and disseminated manually or electronically for environmental decision-making, education, research and other public benefit uses in accordance with the LNHG data access policy. Your email address will not form part of the record and will not be passed on to anyone.
Carl Farmer
12 Oct: Found by me at Musdale
12 Oct: Found by Cynthia on Erraid
13 Oct: Found by Jan at Glen Roy
15 Oct: Plentiful on LNHG
Waxcap Wander at Baileouchdarach, Lismore
17 Oct: Found by Cynthia at Glencoe
28 Oct: Found by Jan on our LNHG field trip at Kentallen
2 Nov: Found by Jeremy Gilchrist at Port Ramsay, Lismore
5 Nov: Found by Liz at Killandrist, Lismore
Sep 2014 - Four-spotted Orb
Weaver
Next month's page
|
