About this fungus
Golden Waxcap is a fungus in the Hygrophoraceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A bright lemon-yellow to orange-yellow waxcap with a smooth, shiny cap and slender matching stem, often standing out in short mossy turf.
What to check
Look for a moist to viscid cap, a smooth often slightly sticky yellow stem, thick waxy pale-yellow gills that are broadly attached or slightly notched, and a white spore print. There is no ring or volva, and the flesh does not blacken.
Variation
Caps range from lemon-yellow to golden or orange-yellow and may develop a deeper orange centre. Dry weather reduces the gloss and stickiness but does not produce a scaly surface.
Lookalikes
Butter Waxcap is usually smaller with a drier stem, while other yellow waxcaps differ in cap texture, gill attachment or blackening. Field separation can be subtle, particularly outside Europe where woodland waxcap concepts may differ.
Habitat and range
In Europe it is characteristic of old, nutrient-poor grassland, including traditional pasture, lawns and churchyards. Waxcaps also fruit in woodland and other low-fertility habitats in North America, Asia and elsewhere. Their exact nutritional partnership remains unresolved but is not ordinary saprotrophy.
Food safety
Edible.
Use this profile to learn what to examine and compare, not as proof that a mushroom is safe to eat. Check the whole specimen and every important lookalike before reaching an identification.
Photographs
H. Krisp / CC BY 3.0