''Cuphophyllus virgineus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of agaric (gilled mushroom) in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Hygrophoraceae The Hygrophoraceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Originally conceived as containing white-spored, thick-gilled agarics (gilled mushrooms), including ''Hygrophorus'' and ''Hygrocybe'' species (the waxcaps or waxy caps), DNA evide ...

. Its recommended English

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

is snowy waxcap in the UK. The species has a largely north

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

distribution, occurring in grassland in Europe and in woodland in North America and northern Asia, but is also known from Australia. It typically produces basidiocarps (fruit bodies) in the autumn.

Taxonomy

The species was first described in 1781 by the Austrian

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

Franz Xaver von Wulfen Franz Xaver Freiherr von Wulfen (5 November 1728 – 17 March 1805) was an Austrian botanist, zoologist, mineralogist, alpinist, and Jesuit priest. He is credited with discovering the flowering plants ''Wulfenia carinthiaca'', ''Saxifraga mo ...

as ''Agaricus virgineus''. It was subsequently combined in a number of different genera, being transferred to ''

Hygrocybe ''Hygrocybe'' is a genus of agarics (gilled fungi) in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called waxcaps in English (sometimes waxy caps in North America), basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are often brightly coloured and have dry to waxy caps, white spores, an ...

'' in 1969 before being transferred to ''

Cuphophyllus ''Cuphophyllus'' is a genus of agaric fungi in the family Hygrophoraceae. ''Cuphophyllus'' species belong to a group known as waxcaps in English, sometimes also waxy caps in North America or waxgills in New Zealand. In Europe, ''Cuphophyllus'' s ...

''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"virgineus" (= pure white). ''Hygrocybe nivea'', first described by the Italian mycologist and naturalist

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italian physician and natural history, naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first anational ...

in 1772, was sometimes distinguished by producing smaller and more slender fruit bodies than ''H. virginea'', but is now regarded as a synonym.

Molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

research published in 2011, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences found that ''Hygrocybe virginea'' does not belong in ''Hygrocybe'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' and belongs in the genus ''

'' instead.

Description

Basidiocarps are

agaricoid An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushrooms ...

, up to 75 mm (3 in) tall, the cap convex at first, becoming flat or slightly depressed when expanded, up to 75 mm (3 in) across. The cap surface is smooth, waxy when damp, hygrophanous and somewhat translucent with a striate margin, white to ivory (rarely with ochre to brownish tints). The lamellae (gills) are waxy, cap-coloured, and decurrent (widely attached to and running down the stipe). The stipe (stem) is smooth, cylindrical or tapering to the base, cap-coloured, and waxy when damp. The spore print is white, the spores (under a microscope) smooth, inamyloid, ellipsoid, about 7.0 to 8.5 by 4.5 to 5.0

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

. The taste is bitter to acrid. The species is sometimes parasitized by the

mould A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. No ...

'' Marquandomyces marquandi'', which colours the lamellae violet.

Similar species

'' Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus'' is very similar in appearance, but can be distinguished in the field by its strong smell of

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

. '' Cuphophyllus berkeleyi'' is also similar, but fruit bodies are typically larger and non-hygrophanous (it has sometimes been considered a white form of ''

Cuphophyllus pratensis ''Cuphophyllus pratensis'' is a species of agaric (gilled mushroom) in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of meadow waxcap in the UK and in North America has variously been called the meadow waxy cap, salmon ...

'').

Distribution and habitat

The snowy waxcap is widespread throughout the north temperate zone, occurring in Europe, North America, and northern Asia, and has also been recorded from Australia. Like other waxcaps, it grows in old, unimproved, short-sward grassland (pastures and lawns) in Europe, but in woodland elsewhere. Recent research suggests waxcaps are neither

mycorrhizal A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plan ...

nor

saprotrophic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi (f ...

but may be associated with mosses.

Conservation

In Europe, ''Cuphophyllus virgineus'' is typical of waxcap grasslands, a declining habitat due to changing agricultural practices. ''Cuphophyllus virgineus'' is one of the commonest species in the genus and is not considered to be of conservation concern (unlike most other waxcaps). In 1997, the species was featured on a postage stamp issued by the Faeroe Islands.

Edibility

Fruit bodies are considered edible and good.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q84335147, from2=Q112037 Hygrophoraceae Edible fungi Fungi of Asia Fungi of Australia Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungi described in 1781 Fungus species