''Hygrocybe miniata'', commonly known as the vermilion waxcap or miniature waxy cap, is a small, bright red or red-orange

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

of the waxcap genus ''

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

''. It is a

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

species, that is found worldwide. In Europe, it is found in fields, on sandy

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

s, or grassy commons in the

autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Sou ...

. It is found in rainforest and

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', '' Corymbia'', '' Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

forest as well as heathland in Australia.

Taxonomy

''Hygrocybe miniata'' was first described by Swedish mycologist

Elias Magnus Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. Career Fries was born at Femsjö (Hylte Municipality), Småland, the son of the pastor there. He attended school in Växjö. He acquired ...

as ''Agaricus miniatus'' in 1821, before being renamed by the same author in 1838 as ''Hygrophorus miniatus''. German mycologist

Paul Kummer Paul Kummer (22 August 1834 – 6 December 1912) was a minister, teacher, and scientist in Zerbst, Germany, known chiefly for his contribution to mycological nomenclature. Earlier classification of agarics by pioneering fungal taxonomist Elias Ma ...

then assigned it to the genus ''

'' in 1871. 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 ...

''miniata'' comes from ‘miniat’, which means "painted with red lead".

Description

The red-to-yellow

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

is convex initially, but later flattens and becomes depressed with a wavy edges; it is

hygrophanous The adjective hygrophanous refers to the color change of mushroom tissue (especially the pileus surface) as it loses or absorbs water, which causes the pileipellis to become more transparent when wet and opaque when dry. When identifying hygrop ...

with small scales which can be seen with a magnifying glass. The centre of mature fruiting bodies is noticeably scurfy, or scaly. This is a feature that is best seen on dry specimens, that have not been rained on. The cap colour is scarlet-orange with a yellow striate margin, and is 0.5–3.5 cm in diameter. The bare

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

is often long, (up to 3 times the cap diameter) and tapering towards the base, with a tendency to flatten. It is the same colour as the cap, or slightly paler, with a white base. The

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

are orange, adnate (with a broad attachment to the stem) or slightly decurrent; widely spaced, and somewhat notched. The

flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as mu ...

is orange, and is devoid of any odour. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

is white, and the

ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

measure 7–9 x 4–5 μm.

Similar species

A very similar (only recently described) species, '' H. helobi'' (Arnolds) Bon, appears earlier in the season; it prefers less acidic soils, and smells of garlic. ''Hygrocybe mollis'', ''H. moseri'', ''H. strangulata'' are very similar and some may be synonyms.

Distribution and habitat

''Hygrocybe miniata'' is a

species, having been recorded in most of the

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 ...

zones. It has been collected from Britain, Europe, America, and the equivalent zones in the Southern Hemisphere such as eastern and southern Australia, where it has been recorded from

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. In Britain it appears in autumn, particularly in frost-free periods, and prefers sandy heaths, grassy clearings, or unimproved fields. It is often seen in the company of

mouse-ear hawkweed ''Pilosella officinarum'' ( synonym ''Hieracium pilosella''), known as mouse-ear hawkweed, is a yellow-flowered species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to Europe and northern Asia. It produces single, lemon-coloured infl ...

(''Hieracium pilosella''). In Australia, it can be found in temperate to

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

rainforest and

forest as well as heathland. Fruiting bodies may appear in groups among the leaf litter from January to June.

Edibility

Though its edibility is unclear, it is considered nonpoisonous.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3270155 Fungi described in 1821 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungi of Australia miniata Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries Fungus species