Hygrocybe coccinea

Taxobox
name = "Hygrocybe coccinea"

---

image_width = 200px
regnum = Fungi
divisio = Basidiomycota
classis = Agaricomycetes
ordo = Agaricales
familia = Hygrophoraceae
genus = "Hygrocybe"
species = "H. coccinea"
binomial = "Hygrocybe coccinea"
binomial_authority = (Schaeff.) P. Kumm.mycomorphbox
name = Hygrocybe coccinea
whichGills = adnate
capShape = convex
hymeniumType= gills
stipeCharacter= bare
ecologicalType=mycorrhizal
sporePrintColor=white
howEdible=edible

"Hygrocybe coccinea", sometimes called the scarlet hood, scarlet waxcap or righteous red waxy cap, is a colourful member of the "genus" "Hygrocybe". These waxcaps are found across the Northern Hemisphere from China and Japan to Europe and North America. The small bright red mushroom is a familiar sight in unimproved grasslands in Europe in late summer and autumn, and woodlands in North America in winter.

Taxonomy

The scarlet hood was first described as "Agaricus coccineus" by German mycologist Jacob Christian Schäffer in 1774, before being transferred to the genus "Hygrophorus" by Elias Magnus Fries in 1838, and finally "Hygrocybe" by Paul Kummer in 1871. The specific epithet "coccinea" is Latin for 'scarlet'.

Description

A small waxcap with an initially bell-shaped, and later flattening, cap 2-5 cm (¾-2 in) across, scarlet in colour and slimy in texture. The adnate gills are thick and widely spaced, yellow red in colour. The spore print is white. The ringless stipe is up 2-5 cm (¾-2 in) high and 0.3-1 cm (⅛-⅓ in) wide, red with a yellowish base. The flesh is yellowish-red and the smell and taste faint. The oval spores measure 7-9.5 x 4-5 μm.cite book | author = Phillips R | year = 2006 | title = Mushrooms | pages = p. 75 | publisher = Pan MacMillan|location=London | isbn = 0-330-44237-6]

Distribution and habitat

"Hygrocybe coccinea" has a wide distribution in unimproved grasslands across Europe from August to October.cite book | author = Nilson S & Persson O | year = 1977 | title = Fungi of Northern Europe 2: Gill-Fungi | publisher = Penguin|isbn=0-14-063006-6|pages=p. 22] In Britain, like all Hygrocybes, it has its best seasons in frost-free late autumn months, and in western North America it may be found under redwoods or in mixed woodland in winter.cite book |last=Arora |first=David|authorlink=David Arora |year=1986 |title=Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi |edition=2nd ed. |location=Berkeley |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=0-89815-169-4| pages=pp. 114] It has been recorded growing under "Rhododendron" and oak ("Quercus") in Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal, and also occurs in India, China and Japan. [cite journal |author=Giri A, Rana P|year=2007|month=June|title=Some Higher Fungi from Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) and its adjoining areas, Nepal|journal=Scientific World |volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=67-74]

Specimens initially identified as "H. coccinea" in Australia have been reclassified as "H. miniata" or "H. kandora". [cite book | author= Young, A.M. | year =2005 | title = Fungi of Australia: Hygrophoraceae | publisher = (Australian Biological Resources Study) CSIRO, Canberra, ACT | isbn = 0-643-09195-5|pages=p. 148]

Edibility

The scarlet hood is edible, but of fairly little interest.

References