Hygrocybe chlorophana
Fast facts
- Common names
- Golden Waxcap
- Scientific name
- Hygrocybe chlorophana
- When to See It
- June-November
Description
A small to medium waxcap, typically lemon to orange-yellow, with a distinctly slimy cap that often shows fine translucent striations.
Identifying Golden Waxcap
A small to medium waxcap, lemon to orange-yellow, with a distinctly slimy cap that often shows fine translucent striations. The gills are broad and narrowly attached, starting whitish and becoming yellow with age, though remaining paler than the cap. The stem is smooth and the same colour as the cap, often tapering, sometimes with a faint longitudinal groove and a light dusting of white near the top. It may be dry or slightly slimy.
Lookalikes
The Butter Waxcap Hygrocybe ceracea is the most likely lookalike and can appear very similar, especially to beginners. Both share similar yellow tones, but the Golden Waxcap is usually larger and has narrowly attached gills, while the Butter Waxcap has gills that are more broadly attached or slightly running down the stem.
When to Find Them
This is a common species, found in unimproved grassland, pasture, dunes and road verges, typically fruiting from June to November.
Interesting Fact
The Golden Waxcap is one of the more common species and is often among the first to appear as grassland sites begin to develop a richer waxcap community.
Join the hunt for North East Waxcaps
Urban or rural, beginner or expert, we need your help to record twelve distinctive waxcaps across the North East this autumn.
Your records can add to our understanding of these colourful fungi in the region and inform conservation and monitoring efforts.
Taking part is easy and every record counts, wherever you live in the region. Records of all waxcap species are encouraged.
