Cuphophyllus colemanniana
Fast facts
- Common names
- Toasted Waxcap
- Scientific name
- Cuphophyllus colemanniana
- When to See It
- September-November
Description
A medium-sized waxcap with a slightly greasy brown cap, often fading paler in dry conditions. The gills are pale buff, frequently running down the stem, and may be forked or linked by cross-veins. The stem is white to cream, usually smooth and fairly slender.
Identifying Toasted Waxcap
The Toasted Waxcap is a medium-sized species with a warm reddish to date-brown cap that is smooth and slightly greasy when damp, often fading paler towards the margin or in dry conditions. The cap begins convex before flattening with age and may develop faint radial streaking. Its thick, waxy gills are pale buff to brownish, distinctly running down the stem and often linked by noticeable cross-veins or forks. The stem is pale cream to whitish, sometimes finely fibrous, contrasting with the darker cap. The combination of a toasted brown cap and decurrent buff gills makes this a distinctive waxcap in the field.
Lookalikes
Typically coloured specimens are fairly easy to identify, though paler examples can resemble forms of the Snowy Waxcap. The Toasted Waxcap is, however, much rarer.
When to Find Them
This is an extremely rare species in the region, best searched for in ancient grassland, moorland and fixed dunes, particularly on calcareous or base-rich soils, where it fruits from September to November.
Interesting Fact
First discovered in Britain in 1854, this is now considered a declining species worldwide, with some estimates suggesting populations may fall by as much as 50% between 1980 and 2030. It is rarely recorded and is listed as Vulnerable on the Global Fungal Red List.
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.
