Hygrocybe cuspidata

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Tricholomataceae > Hygrocybe . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This gorgeous, widely distributed waxy cap might best be described as a non-blackening version of Hygrocybe conica--or a red version of Hygrocybe persistens. Its sharply pointed, slimy cap is scarlet red when fresh and young; its stem is dry, and ranges from reddish to yellow. According to Boertmann (2000), Hygrocybe cuspidata differs from Hygrocybe persistens only in color, and the two species are the same. Largent (1985) also suggests the two species are synonymous.

Field guides list Hygrocybe cuspidata as edible, but it is not very appetizing; I have not tried it.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic under hardwoods or conifers; growing gregariously; spring through fall; widely distributed in North America.

Cap: 2-7 cm; conical, expanding a little in age; slimy; the margin sometimes faintly lined, often upturned and splitting in age; scarlet red when fresh, fading to orange.

Gills: Free from the stem or slightly attached to it; close or almost distant; thick by maturity; pale orange or orangish yellow; often with eroded edges in age.

Stem: 5-9 cm long; 5-10 mm thick; equal or slightly tapering to apex; dry; smooth but often becoming grooved lengthwise; becoming hollow; colored like the cap or paler; whitish near the base.

Flesh: Yellowish or whitish; thin; sometimes turning grayish near the cap margin or in the stem base a few hours after being sliced, but not blackening prominently.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 8-12 x 4-6.5 µ; smooth; elliptical. Basidia 28-56 µ long. Cystidia occasional, variable. Gill tissue parallel or nearly so, composed of cells 9-20 µ wide.

REFERENCES: (Peck, 1897) Murrill, 1916. (Hesler and Smith, 1963; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Largent, 1985; Boertmann, 2000; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 05280401.

Hygrophorus cuspidatus is a synonym.

A similar species, Hygrocybe ruber, has a slimy stem as well as a slimy cap, and smaller spores.

Further Online Information:

Hygrophorus cuspidatus in Hesler & Smith (1963)

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2007, January). Hygrocybe cuspidata. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hygrocybe_cuspidata.html