Hygrocybe subminiata

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

by Michael Kuo

Don't let the photo fool you; the illustrated mushroom is about 1 cm across. It was the largest in a troop of gorgeous little waxy caps growing in my yard this summer, under silver maple and black cherry. Little red waxy caps are not the easiest mushrooms in the world to identify, and I admit I frequently pass over them in search of more substantial finds. But these were in my yard, so they had to be identified. Those are the rules around here, though I am sure they will be broken one day when some little brown Cortinarius decides to appear.

Happily, it turns out that Hygrocybe subminiata is fairly distinctive. Its very tiny size, its slimy, scarlet and convex cap, and its dry yellowish stem would probably lead through many keys to Hygrocybe subminiata even without reference to the arrangement of its gill tissue and the size and shape of its spores.

Edibility is not known for Hygrocybe subminiata, but I can't imagine that anyone cares.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic in hardwood forests and probably in conifer forests as well; growing gregariously; summer through winter; widely distributed in North America.

Cap: Up to 1.5 cm; broadly convex or more or less flat; slimy; fairly smooth; bright red; the margin usually wavy and sometimes thinly lined.

Gills: Running down the stem; distant or nearly so; whitish or yellowish.

Stem: Up to 3 cm long and 2 mm thick; more or less equal; dry or moist, but not slimy; smooth; yellow.

Flesh: Insubstantial.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-9 x 3.5-5 µ; smooth; long-elliptical, nearly cylindrical, or slipper-shaped. Gill tissue nearly parallel.

REFERENCES: (Murrill, 1911) Murrill, 1912. (Hesler and Smith, 1963; Stuntz, 1975.) Herb. Kuo 07160405.

Hygrophorus subminiatus is a synonym.

Further Online Information:

Hygrophorus subminiatus in Hesler & Smith (1963)

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Kuo, M. (2004, December). Hygrocybe subminiata. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hygrocybe_subminiata.html