Hygrophorus lucorum

What You Should Know

Hygrophorus lucorum is a species of fungus belongs to the group Basidiomycota. It is recognized by its bell-shaped or broadly conical shape and yellowish cap color.

First described by Károly Kalchbrenner in 1874. Hygrophorus lucorum belongs to the genus Hygrophorus, and is related to Hygrophoraceae.

It is edible but with low culinary value. Used after 5 minutes of boiling, boiled, fried, marinated.

Other names: Larch Woodwax.

Hygrophorus lucorum Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   2 - 6 cm in diameter, initially bell-shaped or broadly conical, later convex-spreading, flat-spreading, sometimes concave in the middle, with a lowered edge. The surface of the cap is smooth, sticky, mucous, lemon-yellow, yellowish, lighter at the edges, with remnants of the cover at the edges.

2. Gills

   The plates are thin, thick, low on the leg, first whitish, yellowish, later yellow.

3. Spores

   7 - 10 * 4 - 6 microns, elliptical, with a smooth surface, colorless.

4. Spore Print

   White.

5. Stem

   3 - 9 cm high, 0.4 - 1 cm in diameter, thin, cylindrical, often curved, first solid, later hollow, white-fibrous, white-floury at the top, whitish or yellowish.

6. Flesh

   The flesh is soft, light, yellowish in the stalk and under the skin, without a pronounced odor.

7. Habitat

   Grows from August to late November, in coniferous larch and pine forests, among moss, alone and in groups, forms mycorrhizae with pines and larch.

Hygrophorus lucorum Synonyms

1. Limacium lucorum (Kalchbr.) P. Hennings, 1898

2. Tricholoma luteocitrinum Rea, 1909

3. Hygrophorus luteocitrinum Rea, 1909

4. Hygrophorus lucorum amethysteus Candusso, 2008

Sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)

Photo 2 - Author: Holger Krisp (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)

Photo 3 - Author: Jerzy Opioła (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)