About this fungus
Splendid Waxcap is a fungus in the Hygrophoraceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A large, vivid scarlet waxcap of long-established nutrient-poor grassland. The smooth cap is dry or only slightly greasy, usually with a broad central bump as it opens. The red or orange stem is often twisted, flattened and grooved rather than evenly cylindrical.
What to check
Check for a scarlet to blood-red cap that begins conical or convex and becomes broadly convex or flat with a broad umbo. The fairly distant gills are red, orange or yellow and may be broadly or only narrowly attached. The smooth stem is red to orange above, often yellower near the base, and is commonly irregularly flattened with lengthwise grooves. There is no ring, no volva and no blackening. The spore print is white.
Lookalikes
Crimson Waxcap, Hygrocybe punicea, usually has a rounder, more fibrous stem and often develops patchy buff fading. Scarlet Waxcap, H. coccinea, is generally smaller and has a more evenly cylindrical stem. Blackening Waxcap, H. conica, blackens with age or handling and usually keeps a sharper cap. Red waxcaps overlap greatly, so stem shape, cap surface, gill attachment, blackening response and habitat should be considered together. Some records outside Europe, especially from western North America, may represent another taxon.
Habitat and range
A European specialist of long-established, nutrient-poor semi-natural grassland, including old pasture, mown turf, mossy lawns and coastal heath. Many sites are acidic, although habitat varies regionally. It is often found in small groups. Its nutritional relationship with grasses and mosses is still not fully resolved, so describing it simply as a grass-root decomposer would overstate the evidence. The species was assessed globally as Vulnerable because this habitat is declining.
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.
Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: