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Snowy Waxcap

Cuphophyllus virgineus

How to identify:

CapIvory white sometimes with a slight yellow tinge. Young snowy waxcaps have convex caps (more pointed) but these flatten with age. Often they have a slight umbo (raised area in the centre of the cap). Greasy texture.
Cap Diameter5- 7cm
GillsDecurrent gills (gills extend slightly down the stem), gills are widely spread. Brighter white than the cap but become more ivory in colour as they age
StemSlender and white, sometimes a little curved
StemSlightly greasy to touch, feels waxy when crushed.
SporesWhite

 

 

Where to find them?

Snowy Waxcaps (Cuphophyllus virgineus) can be found in parkland, garden lawns, churchyards and pastures around autumn time.

Did you know?

One of the most widely recorded waxcaps in unfertilised grassland. A variable species which includes varieties having pale buff-brown colours on the cap. Snowy waxcaps are a little more hardy than other waxcap species.

Don’t mistake them for….

The  Cedarwood Waxcap (similar white colour with distinctive smell of woof chippings).

Other Species