Heath Waxcap

Heath Waxcap Hygrocybe laeta (Pers.) P. Kumm. syn. Hygrophorus laetus (Pers.) Fr. (illustrated 60% life size) Cap 1–3cm across, convex; flesh-coloured to pale tawny-brown, faintly striate at the margin; slimy, sticky. Stem 30–70×2–4mm; pale yellow, tinged with cap colour; very slimy, soon becoming hollow. Flesh tawny in cap, more yellowish in stem; thin; taste and smell not distinctive. Gills decurrent, widely spaced but connected by veins; whitish to flesh-coloured. Spores 5–7.5×4–5¼, broadly ellipsoid. Spore print white. Habitat on heaths, usually amongst bracken; late autumn. Common. Edible good.