Blackening Waxcap

Blackening Waxcap Hygrocybe conica (Schaeff.) P. Kumm. syn. H. nigrescens sensu auct. (illustrated 55% life size) Cap 3.5–5.5cm across, bell-shaped or broadly conical, often irregularly lobed; orange or scarlet, blackening with age. Stem 30–70×6–10mm; yellow, flushed scarlet, with white base, becoming streaked black. Flesh yellowish in the cap, white in the stem, blackening on exposure to air; taste mild, smell not distinctive. Gills adnexed or free; pale yellow. Spores 8–11×5–6¼, ellipsoid. Spore print white. Basidia 4-spored. Habitat in grass in fields or woods; autumn. Very common. Edible. Note in my first book I used the name H. nigrescens for the red variety, but now both colour varieties are placed under the name H. conica.