NOTE ON REVISION
Dr. Stuntz included in his key the commoner Hygrophorus species from Washington. While it includes the majority of species likely to be encountered in the Pacific Northwest, most interested amateurs will find less common species as well. As this group of mushrooms draws more than its share of interest due to the bright colors or many of the species, a brief account of less common species has been added as an appendix, organized according to Dr. Stuntz's sections. Some of them are recorded by Hesler & Smith from Idaho or Oregon but not from Washington.
The structure and details of the keys have not been altered, lest the wide experience of Dr. Stuntz be accidentally diminished. "NOTES" represent Dr. Stuntz's comments. "REMARKS" were added during the revision. In reformatting, the page references to the Hesler & Smith monograph and to the older field guides have been removed. In the few cases where Pacific Northwest material from the species is not included in the monograph, this is noted in the remarks.
Many of the species included in Hygrophorus by Hesler and Smith have been segregated by various authors into different genera (Hygrocybe, Camarophyllus, Camarophyllopsis, Neohygrophorus, Cuphophyllus, etc.) The renaming process is far from complete: it has been decided for ease of usage here to retain the name Hygrophorus for all the species.
INTRODUCTION
In this key to species of Hygrophorus found in Washington, the species are divided into nine groups, each group characterized by the color of the cap, as follows:
I. Cap white.
II. Cap ivory, pale cream, pale buff or beige, pale salmon or flesh color, pale yellowish or vinaceous buff or pallid cinnamon; usually uniformly colored, but the margin may be somewhat lighter than the center.
III. Cap some shade of tan or brown, usually bright, in the center, pallid or almost white on the margin. (This color pattern is called "bicolorous.")
IV. Cap definitely yellow, some bright shade such as lemon yellow, egg yolk yellow, deep yellow tinged with orange, etc.
V. Cap orange.
VI. Cap some shade of bright or deep red, such as vermilion, scarlet, blood red, cherry red, etc. but not purplish red or wine red or brownish red.
VII. Cap brownish purple, wine red, purplish red, or streaked or mottled with these colors on a white or pallid ground color.
VIII. Cap uniformly some shade of brown (rusty brown, umber, cinnamon brown, tobacco brown, olive brown, gray-brown, etc.) or gray (not bicolorous, as in III).
IX. Cap grass-green or olive-green.
In each of these groups, a further subdivision is made as follows:
A. Both cap and stem viscid.
B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid.
C. Neither cap nor stem viscid.
It may happen that only two of these subgroups will occur in some of the nine main groups. In any event, if you know the normal color of the cap, and can tell whether or not cap and/or stem are viscid, the combination of a group I through IX plus a subgroup A through C narrows the choice of species to no more than 6 or 7, usually less.
It is well to remember that color can vary considerably with age and with weather. To some extent this has been gotten around by including species with variable color in several places in the key. The perception of viscid surfaces can be difficult in specimens that have developed during dry weather, or that have been subjected to enough rain to wash off most of the slime. The "lip test" is helpful in detecting viscid layers that have dried, but in really dubious cases recourse to the microscope may be the only sure way of settling the question. Dry surfaces of soft-fleshed species (e.g., Hygrophorus flavescens) may seem viscid if much handled, because of sticky cell contents released by the breaking of the delicate cell walls.
A brief description is appended to each key entry that leads to a species in its proper section. In parentheses following each description are given the spore measurements (in microns, taken from the Hesler-Smith monograph) and the type of gill tissue, indicated as follows:
PL = parallel or subparallel
IW = interwoven
DV = divergent
Sometimes these features are the only ones that will really separate two species with essentially the same colors and viscid surfaces.
KEY TO SPECIES
__________________________________________________________________________________
I. Cap white. (Note: caps that are pure white when in conditions of vigorous growth often will take on a tinge of cream or buff upon aging, or on drying out.)
- Both cap and stem viscid.
- Cap viscid, stem dry.
- Neither cap nor stem viscid.
__________________________________________________________________________________
A. Both cap and stem viscid (cap white)
1a Margin of cap and top of stem bearing many small, golden yellow granules........... Hygrophorus chrysodon
1b No yellow granules on cap or stem.................................................................................................... 2 2a Stem 1/2 inch or more thick,
usually shorter than the cap width; caps large (usually more than 5 inches
wide) and thick-fleshed................................................................ see
H. gliocyclus, in section II 2b Stem usually less than 1/2 inch
thick, and usually longer than the cap width; most caps medium-sized (less than
5 inches wide), with rather thin flesh except at the very center..................................... 3 3a Gills lemon yellow; cap less than
1/2 inch broad; stem one eighth inch or less thick................................ .................................................................................................... see
H. citrinopallidus, in section IV 3b Gills not lemon yellow; both cap
and stem larger than in the above choice........................................... 4 REMARKS If neither choice 3a or 3b fits and there is a fibrillose ring near
top of stem, consider H. albiflavus (see Appendix). 4a Gills becoming brownish in old
specimens, and turning dark red-brown when dried........ Hygrophorus chrysaspis CAP 1 to 2 1/4 inches broad, convex, drying tawny or with black stains at center. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate, white becoming yellow where bruised. STEM as long as width of cap, slender, white, yellow where bruised. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 3.4-4.5 microns; DV. 4b Gills becoming pale yellowish or
pale buff in age or when dried................................ Hygrophorus eburneus __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap white). 1a Stem slender (less than 1/2 inch
thick), usually longer than width of the cap......................................... 2 1b Stem stout (1/2 inch or more
thick), usually shorter than the width of the cap....................................... 3 2a Cap translucent-striate almost to
the center when wet.................................................. Hygrophorus niveus CAP 1 - 2 inches broad; flesh thin, pliant. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, white, becoming yellowish. STEM white, smooth. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4-5.5 microns; IW. REMARKS Arnolds 1986 (as quoted in Breitenbach et al.) includes Camarophyllus niveus in Hygrocybe virginea. 2b Cap not translucent-striate when
wet........................................................................... Hygrophorus piceae REMARKS If cap or gills have a pinkish tinge or habitat is near snowbanks,
consider H. albicarneus (see Appendix). If 2a and 2b do not fit, and
gills are contrasting creamy yellowish consider H. melizeus forma minor
(see Appendix). 3a (1b) Base of stem with a large
bulb whose flat upper rim bears a narrow, flaring, membranous, ragged ring in
young specimens that have just expanded.................................................................... Hygrophorus subalpinus 3b Base of stem not bulbous (often
narrowed or bluntly pointed); no veil, no ring..................... Hygrophorus sordidus __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Neither cap nor stem viscid (cap
white). 1a Cap becoming yellowish at least at
the center.................................................................... Hygrophorus virgineus CAP 1 - 2 inches wide; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, white, becoming tinged yellow. STEM smooth, white, rarely tinged salmon pink or pinkish lavender in the lower half. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-11 x 5-7 microns; IW. REMARKS Arnolds 1986 (as quoted in Breitenbach et al.) includes Camarophyllus niveus in Hygrocybe virginea. 1b Cap remaining white even at the
center............................................................................... Hygrophorus borealis REMARKS If there is an odor of cedar or a medicinal taste, consider H.
russocoriaceus (see Appendix). If 1a and 1b do not fit, and gills are contrasting
creamy yellowish consider H. melizeus forma minor (see
Appendix). __________________________________________________________________________________ II. Cap ivory, pale cream, pale yellow,
pale buff or beige, pale salmon flesh color, pale pinkish, vinaceous buff, or
pallid cinnamon; usually uniformly colored, but the margin may be somewhat
paler than the center. __________________________________________________________________________________ A. Both cap and stem viscid (cap buff etc.) 1a Margin of cap and top of stem
decorated with many small, bright golden yellow granules see H. chrysodon,
in section I. 1b Margin of cap and top of stem not
covered with bright golden yellow granules.................................... 2 2a Stem slender for its length,
usually 2 or 3 times as long as the width of the cap, and 1/4 inch or less
thick........................................................................................................................................ 3 2b Stem stout, thicker for its length
than in the above, usually about as long as the width of the cap (or shorter).................................................................................................................................... 4 REMARKS If neither 2a or 2b fits well, or if odor is distinctly aromatic, consider
H. cossus (see Appendix.) 3a Gills decurrent, pale pinkish or
pale grayish lilac..................................................................... Hygrophorus laetus CAP 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches broad, convex, usually becoming depressed in the center, slimy, very variable in color, usually pale grayish violet, but may be orange, reddish orange, onion-skin pink, or dingy brown. ODOR none, or faintly fishy. GILLS tough, subdistant. STEM 2 to 5 inches long, slimy, same color as the cap. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-8 x 3-5 microns; PL. 3b Gills not decurrent (adnate),
yellow, often retaining a trace of their original green color where they are
fastened to the cap............................................................................. see
H. psittacinus, in section IX 4a (2b) Cap pale to bright pinkish
buff; lower part of the stem with only a thin layer of slime that breaks into
yellowish patches, and does not form a glutinous ring............................................................ ................................................................................................................................ Hygrophorus vernalis CAP 1 to 2 inches broad, convex; flesh thick. ODOR not
distinctive. GILLS decurrent, whitish. STEM 1 to 2 inches long, whitish. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 11-16 x 5.5-7 microns; DV. /span> 4b Cap pale yellow or nearly white,
without any pinkish cast; lower part of the stem with a thick, glutinous sheath
that forms a glutinous ring when the cap opens, and does not break into
yellowish patches........ Hygrophorus gliocyclus REMARKS If neither choice fits well, and cap is white with yellow to orange
or orange tan disc, or that color over the whole cap, and gills are pink fading
to whitish, consider H. flavodiscus. If neither choice fits well and
there are watery drops near the top of the stem that dry to reddish dots,
consider H. glutinosus. See Appendix for either species. __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap buff etc.) 1a Taste intensely and persistently bitter................................................................................... Hygrophorus amarus CAP 1 to 3 inches broad, convex, slimy, flesh color or buff, sometimes yellow tinged with orange in the center. ODOR not distinctive. GILLS adnate or somewhat decurrent, pale yellow becoming spotted with pink. STEM 1 to 2 times as long as the width of the cap, 1/2 inch or more thick, white or flushed with pink. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-8.5 x 4.5-6 microns; DV. REMARKS H. erubescens is sometimes described as bitter but has dark reddish brown cap and pinkish gills spotted or stained reddish; H. pudorinus which may also be bitter doesn't have the fibrillose stem sheath of H. amarus. 1b Taste not bitter.................................................................................................................................. 2 2a Stem slender, 1/4 inch or less
thick............................................................................ Hygrophorus pusillus CAP 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches broad, convex then flat, creamy yellow to pale brownish flesh color at the center, pallid at the margin. ODOR slightly fragrant. TASTE mild. GILLS adnate or slightly decurrent, white. STEM 1 to 3 inches long, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-5 microns; DV. REMARKS If odor is faintly medicinal or gills buff, consider H. burgdorfensis. If odor is faintly aromatic, sweet, fruity, or spicy, stem pruinose, and gills pinkish cinnamon, consider H. subpungens. If odor not distinctive, but cap very pale pinkish and copious white fibrillose veil remnants are present on stem, consider H. velatus. (See Appendix for these 3 species.) 2b Stem stout, fleshy, more than 1/4
inch thick (up to 1 1/2 or even 2 inches thick in large specimens)................................................................................................................... 3 REMARKS If cap and gills are apricot orange, or if neither 2a or 2b fits
well, consider also H. ellenae. If habitat near snowbanks, consider also
H. goetzii. (See Appendix for either species.) 3a Gills white or pallid............................................................................................................ Hygrophorus penarius CAP 2 to 3 inches broad, convex, viscid at first but soon becoming dry, and then does not look viscid, pinkish tan to straw color at the center, paler at the margin; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS slightly decurrent. STEM about as long as the width of the cap, about 1/2 inch thick, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-7 x 3.5-4 microns; DV. REMARKS H. sordidus has slightly lighter cap but may be the same species. 3b Gills pink, salmon pink, or pale
pinkish cinnamon................................................................................ 4 4a Gills soon becoming spotted and
stained with wine red or dull cherry red....................................... ............................................................................................... see
H. erubescens, in section VII 4b Gills not becoming spotted or
stained with red.......................................................................... 5 5a Top of stem dotted with rough white
points that quickly turn yellow or orange in 3% potassium hydroxide solution,
and turn red-brown when the specimen is dried......................................................................... ..................................................................................................................H. pudorinus var. fragrans 5b Top of stem not dotted with rough
white points that turn red-brown when dried.................. Hygrophorus saxatilis __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Neither cap nor stem viscid (cap buff
etc.) 1a Gills white, becoming tinged pale
yellow only with age, or not at all..................................................... 2 1b Gills colored from the first,
yellow, buff, salmon buff, etc., and if anything fading with age..................... 3 REMARKS If gills are bluish green, see H. caeruleus in Appendix. If
cap and gills are white and become apricot orange, consider also H. ellenae (see
Appendix). 2a Stem slender, about 10 times as
long as it is thick, about 1/4 of an inch thick (or less) see H. virgineus,
in section I. 2b Stem stout, about 4 times as long
as it is thick, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick...................................... ........................................................................... see
H. penarius, in subgroup B of this section. 3a (1b) Cap less than 1 1/2 inches
broad; gills clear yellow................................................ Hygrophorus cremicolor CAP obtuse, with cottony margin at first, white at first becoming creamy ocher or tinged salmon color; flesh thin, same color as the surface. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, distant, narrow, retaining their color even when the cap fades to white, as it often does. STEM 2 to 3 inches long, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, same color as the cap. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-7 x 3.5-4.5 microns; IW. 3b Cap 2 to 4 inches or more broad;
gills not yellow............................................................................... 4 REMARKS If intermediate in size between 3a and 3b, and has sweetish fragrant
odor and pinkish cinnamon colors, consider H. graveolens (see Appendix). 4a Cap hygrophanous, that is, much
darker in color when wet, and fading markedly upon losing moisture (turn dry
caps upside down in a shallow container of water to test this feature); odor
none, or not distinctive...................................................................................... see
H. pratensis, in section V 4b Cap not hygrophanous, not fading
markedly in color upon losing moisture; odor faintly but unmistakable of dried
peaches............................... see H. saxatilis, in subgroup B
of this section __________________________________________________________________________________ III. Cap red-brown or tan, or occasionally
yellow-brown in the center, pallid to white at the margin
("bicolorous") when mature (very young caps may be more or less
evenly red-brown). A. Both cap and stem viscid (cap bicolorous brown and
whitish). Only one species............................................................................................................. Hygrophorus variicolor CAP 1 1/2 to 3 inches broad, convex or broadly and shallowly umbonate, slimy, reddish brown to cinnamon brown at the center, whitish at the margin; flesh thick, white. ODOR almond (benzaldehyde). TASTE mild. GILLS short-decurrent, white. STEM 3 to 4 inches long, about 1/2 inch thick, white, the lower half or third slimy, upper part dry. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 microns; DV. REMARKS Other almond scented species include H. agathosmus, H. bakerensis, H. monticola, H. odoratus, and H. vinicolor. H. variicolor is similar to H. bakerensis apart from the slimy stem. If odor is mild, gills tinged buff, and fibrillose points on upper stem, consider H. discoideus (see Appendix). __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap
bicolorous brown and whitish). 1a Gills pinkish buff to pinkish
cinnamon (yellowish with definite pink cast); stem staining yellow then orange
where bruised, its top dotted with rough white points that turn yellow in 3%
potassium hydroxide solution, and become red-brown when the specimen is dried.......... see
H. pudorinus var. fragrans, in section II 1b Gills white or yellow, but if yellow,
lacking any tinge of pink; stem not becoming yellow or orange when bruised, its
top not with rough white points that turn yellow in alkali solutions and dry
red-brown......... 2 2a Gills yellow from the first; odor
strong and penetrating, aromatic, but not like almond flavoring (benzaldehyde)....................................................................................................... Hygrophorus pacificus 2b Gills white at first and remaining
so, or becoming creamy white (not truly yellow) in age; odor strong of almond
flavoring (benzaldehyde)........................................................................... Hygrophorus bakerensis __________________________________________________________________________________ IV. Cap some shade of bright yellow, lemon
yellow, egg yolk yellow, creamy yellow, chrome yellow, etc. __________________________________________________________________________________ A. Cap viscid, stem viscid (cap yellow). 1a Taste very bitter............................................................................................ see
H. reai, in section VI 1b Taste not bitter.................................................................................................................................. 2 2a Cap 1/2 inch or less in diameter...................................................................... Hygrophorus citrinopallidus CAP 1/4 to 1/2 inch broad, convex, lemon yellow fading to white; flesh very thin. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS long-decurrent, lemon yellow, remaining so when cap fades. STEM 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, about 1/8 inch thick, lemon yellow fading to white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4.5-5 microns; IW. 2b Cap more than 1/2 inch broad.................................................................................................. 3 3a Stem hollow...................................................................................................................................... 4 3b Stem solid, or sometimes filled
with a soft webby pith......................................................................... 6 4a Cap very soon becoming depressed in
the center, finally deeply concave with shallowly rounded margin; gills
decurrent................................................................................................. Hygrophorus nitidus CAP 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches broad, yellow fading to white; flesh very thin, yellow fading to white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS long-decurrent, narrow, yellow. STEM 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6.5-9 x 4-5 microns; PL. 4b Cap not becoming deeply concave,
but remaining convex, conical, or bell-shaped, or becoming flat; gills not
decurrent..................................................................................................................... 5 5a Cap and stem taking on pinkish
tinges with age or when dried................. see H. psittacinus, section
IX 5b Cap and stem remaining deep lemon
yellow when old or upon drying, or sometimes tinged with orange at center of
the cap, but not pink................................................................................... Hygrophorus chlorophanus 6a (3b) Sporocarps associated only
with larch; center of cap sometimes tinged orange or red, but not brown.......................................................................................... see
H. speciosus, in section V 6b Sporocarps associated with conifers
other than larch (sometimes also hardwoods), mostly with 2- or 3-needle pines;
center of cap retaining a rather dark brown color................................................ .............................................................................................. see
H. hypothejus, in section VIII __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap yellow). 1a Taste intensely and persistently
bitter.......................................................... see H.
amarus, in section II 1b Taste not bitter.................................................................................................................................. 2 2a Cap cone-shaped; flesh red under
the surface; cap regaining its original red color when dried see H.
cuspidatus, in section VI 2b Cap convex to flat, never
cone-shaped; flesh without any red color under the surface; cap not becoming
red when dried...................................................................................... Hygrophorus flavescens REMARKS If cap has pointed umbo and no red in the cap, consider H.
acutoconicus (see Appendix). If cap is obtuse to convex +/- depressed disc,
gills are decurrent, and stem tinged red or orangy pink, consider H.
parvulus ( see Appendix). __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Neither cap nor stem viscid (cap yellow). 1a Cap covered with tiny, scurfy, dull
brown to black squamules................. see H. turundus, in section VI 1b Cap with fine, bran-like scales,
but the scales are yellow, not brown or black...................................... 2 REMARKS H. turundus var. sphagnophilus has
light colored scales which may darken somewhat (see remarks in section VI. If
cap is less than 1/2 inch wide and does not have scales, consider also Hygrocybe
luteo-omphaloides (see Appendix). If cap is obtuse to convex +/-
depressed disc, without scales, gills are decurrent, and stem tinged red or
orangy pink, consider H. parvulus ( see Appendix). 2a Flesh or cap thick and firm; top of
stem sparsely covered with white granular powder........ see H. squamulosus in
section VI 2b Flesh of cap thin, soft and
brittle; top of stem not covered with sparse white granular powder see H. miniatus,
in section VI __________________________________________________________________________________ V. Cap orange (may occasionally be
bicolorous, with orange or reddish orange in the center, yellow on the margin). __________________________________________________________________________________ A. Cap viscid, stem viscid (cap orange). 1a All parts of the mushroom becoming
black where bruised, and becoming black spontaneously with age and when dried................................................................................................ see
H. singeri, in section VI 1b Not becoming black where bruised,
in age, or on drying..................................................................... 2 2a Stem stout, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick,
solid or with soft, webby pith; mushrooms associated only with larch.............................................................................................................................. Hygrophorus speciosus 2b Stem slender, 1/8 to 1/4 inch
thick, hollow; mushrooms associated with trees other than larch, or sometimes
in grassy, open places.............................................................................................. 3 3a Taste very bitter............................................................................................ see
H. reai, in section VI 3b Taste not bitter.................................................................................................................................. 4 4a Gills decurrent, pale pink or pale
grayish lilac...................................... see H. laetus, in
section II 4b Gills not decurrent, yellow, often
retaining a slight trace of their original green color where they are fastened
to the flesh of the cap................................................... see H.
psittacinus, in section IX __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap orange). 1a Taste intensely and persistently
bitter.......................................................... see H.
amarus, in section II 1b Taste not bitter.................................................................................................................................. 2 2a All parts of the mushroom staining
black where cut or bruised, and becoming black with age and on drying............................................................................................ see
H. conicus, in section VI 2b Not staining black where cut or bruised,
with age, or on drying................................................. 3 3a Stem red, at least at first; gills
with a definite red cast............................................................................ ................................................................................. see
H. coccineus and H. puniceus, in section VI 3b Stem yellow, gills orange or yellow..................................................................................................... 4 4a Cap cone-shaped; flesh of cap red
just below the surface; cap regaining its original red color when dried......................................................................................... see
H. cuspidatus, in section VI 4b Cap convex to flat, not
cone-shaped; flesh of cap not red below the surface; cap not turning red when
dried......................................................................................... see
H. flavescens, in section IV __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Cap not viscid, stem not viscid (cap orange). 1a All parts of the mushroom becoming
black where cut or bruised, and becoming black spontaneously with age and when
dried.................................................................................. see
H. conicus, in section VI 1b Not staining black where cut or
bruised, in age or when dried............................................................. 2 2a Cap covered with tiny, chaffy,
gray-brown or black scales, conspicuous against the orange ground color............................................................................................ see
H. turundus, in section VI 2b Cap lacking brown or black scales
(but may have scales that are the same color as the ground color)............................................................................................................................................... 3 REMARKS H. turundus var. sphagnophilus which grows in Sphagnum may key to 3 (see
section VI). 3a Cap covered with tiny, chaffy
scales; cap becoming scarlet when soaked with water................................ ............................................................................. see
H. miniatus and H. squamulosus, in section VI 3b Cap smooth, lacking tiny chaffy
scales; or if it appears minutely scaly, it does not become scarlet when soaked
with water............................................................................................................................. 4 4a Stem and gills red, at least at
first................................................. see H. coccineus,
in section VI 4b Stem and gills never red........................................................................................................... 5 5a Gills a persistent and brilliant
chrome orange color; stem hollow............................................................... ......................................................................................................... Hygrophorus marginatus var. marginatus CAP 1 to 3 inches broad, cone-shaped and remaining so or becoming convex or bellshaped, smooth; flesh thin, very fragile, orange. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS deeply rounded at the stem, not decurrent, broad. STEM 3 to 5 inches long, smooth, satiny, pale orange, fragile. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4-6 microns; PL. 5b Gills apricot color or salmon buff,
not brilliant orange, and tending to fade with age; stem solid, or filled with
a soft webby pith.............................................................................................................. Hygrophorus pratensis __________________________________________________________________________________ VI. Cap some shade of bright or deep red,
such as vermilion, scarlet, blood red, cherry red, etc., but NOT
purplish red or wine red or brownish red. __________________________________________________________________________________ A. Cap viscid, stem viscid (cap red). 1a All parts of the mushroom becoming
black where bruised or cut, and becoming black spontaneously in age and when
dried.................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus singeri 1b Not becoming black where cut or
bruised, in age or when dried......................................................... 2 2a Taste very bitter; small slender
mushrooms...................................................................... Hygrophorus reai CAP 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches broad, convex, brilliant red, or bright red at center and brilliant orange on the margin (bicolorous), fading to chrome yellow with age or upon losing moisture; flesh thin, brittle, red, fading to yellow. ODOR none. TASTE very bitter. GILLS adnate (not decurrent), pallid at first, becoming yellow. STEM 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, 1/8 inch or less thick, very fragile, same color as the cap and fading like the cap. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6.5-9 x 4-5.5 microns; PL. 2b Taste not bitter; medium sized to
large, stout mushrooms............... see H. speciosus, in section V REMARKS if very small and not bitter, consider H. minutulus in
Appendix. __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap red). 1a All parts of the mushroom becoming
black where bruised or cut, and becoming black spontaneously with age, and when
dried............................................................................................................ Hygrophorus conicus 1b Not becoming black where cut or
bruised, or with age, or when dried................................................ 2 2a Very small, slender, fragile
mushrooms; cap 1/2 inch broad, stem 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick........... Hygrophorus subminiatus CAP 1/2 inch broad, convex to flat, scarlet, smooth. GILLS decurrent, white or tinged yellowish buff. STEM 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick, yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 3-5 microns; PL. REMARKS Other very small red species include H. minutulus and H. subminutulus (see under H. minutulus in Appendix) which have viscid cap and stem. 2b Medium sized to large, stout
mushrooms; cap 1-3 inches or more broad, stem 1/4 to 3/4 inch thick 3 3a Stem red at least at first, but
often fading to orange or yellow; gills with a definite red cast at first; cap
bluntly cone-shaped or merely broadly umbonate.......................................................................................... 4 3b Stem yellow from the first, never
red; gills orange or yellow, lacking any red color; cap sharply cone-shaped..................................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus cuspidatus CAP 1 to 3 inches broad, slimy, scarlet, fading to orange or
yellow-orange, but regaining the red color when dried; flesh thin, red under the surface, yellow elsewhere. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS free or nearly so, orange or yellow. STEM 2 to 7 inches long, 1/8 to 3/8 inch thick, satiny, longitudinally streaked, yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-12 x 4-7 microns; PL. REMARKS fruiting is usually May through August; H. acutoconicus is never red and fruits spring through fall (see Appendix). 4a Viscid surface of the cap
well-developed, evident, and persistent.............................. Hygrophorus puniceus 4b Viscid surface of cap thin, very
poorly defined, or more frequently lacking............... Hygrophorus coccineus __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Cap not viscid, stem not viscid (cap red). 1a All parts of the mushroom becoming
black where cut or bruised, and becoming black spontaneously with age, and when
dried............................................................ see H.
conicus, in subgroup B, this section 1b Not becoming black where cut or
bruised, in age, or upon drying....................................................... 2 2a Stem stout, 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick................................. see
H. coccineus, subgroup B, this section 2b Stem slender, 1/4 inch or less
thick........................................................................................... 3 3a Cap covered with tiny, chaffy,
gray-brown to black scales, conspicuous against the red ground color ........ Hygrophorus turundus 3b Cap lacking gray-brown to black
squamules (but is covered with tiny scales the same color as the ground
color)................................................................................................................................................ 4 4a Flesh of cap thick and firm; top of
stem rather sparsely covered with white, granular powder... Hygrophorus squamulosus CAP 1/2 to 2 inches broad, convex, bright red when wet, fading to orange then yellow on losing moisture, but regaining the red color when re-moistened, smooth when wet, becoming covered with bran-like scales on drying; flesh red, fading like the cap. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate, reddish to pale yellow, broad. STEM 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, up to 1/4 inch thick, yellow or tinged with red, hollow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-9 x 4-5 microns; PL. NOTES see note following the description of H. miniatus. 4b Flesh of cap thin, soft, and
brittle; top of stem lacking white granular powder............................... ............................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus miniatus . __________________________________________________________________________________ VII. Cap brownish purple, wine red,
purplish red, or streaked or mottled with these colors on a white or pallid
ground color. __________________________________________________________________________________ A. Cap viscid, stem viscid (cap purple). 1a Stem less than 1/4 inch thick,
slender, about 10 times as long as thick; cap thin-fleshed, becoming concave in
the center; gills pink or pale grayish lavender................................................. see
H. laetus, in section II 1b Stem 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, stout,
5-6 times as long as thick; cap thick-fleshed, convex or umbonate; gills white
or pallid........................................................................................... see
H. vernalis, in section II __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap purple). 1a Odor strong of green corn............................................................................................. Hygrophorus rainierensis 1b Odor not of green corn...................................................................................................................... 2 2a A fibrillose veil present between
stem and margin of cap, visible on unopened caps, leaving a zone of fibrils on
the stem for a time after the cap has expanded.............................................................. ....................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus purpurascens 2b Fibrillose veil absent between
margin of cap and stem............................................................... 3 3a Gills close........................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus russula 3b Gills well spaced (subdistant to
distant).............................................................................................. 4 4a Cap, gills, and stem all uniformly
dark reddish purple when the mushroom is mature........Hygrophorus capreolarius 4b Cap, gills, and stem not uniformly
reddish purple in mature specimens................... Hygrophorus erubescens Note: The four preceding species, H.
purpurascens, H. russula, H. capreolarius, and H.
erubescens, are difficult to distinguish one from another, because of their
similarity in size, color, and general appearance. The fibrillose veil is
unique to H. purpurascens, and unless it has been obliterated by
careless handling, is a sure sign of that species. The close, almost crowded
gills and preference from growing under hardwoods distinguish H. russula
(which is not as common as the others in Washington); the distinctly larger
spores (if one has a microscope) will distinguish H. erubescens from H.
capreolarius, or if the spores cannot be measured, the uniform wine red
color, especially of the gills, characterizes mature specimens of H.
capreolarius. Very young specimens of H. russula, H. capreolarius,
and H. erubescens would be difficult to separate, and overmature,
weathered, or badly discolored plants of all four species probably would be
impossible to tell apart. __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Neither cap nor stem viscid (cap purple). Only one species.................................................................................. see
H. cinereus, in section VIII __________________________________________________________________________________ VIII. Cap uniformly some shade of brown
(rusty brown, umber, cinnamon brown, tobacco brown, olive brown, gray-brown,
etc.), or gray. (not bicolorous, as in III, except H. hypothejus which
see) __________________________________________________________________________________ A. Cap viscid, stem viscid (cap brown or gray). 1a Stem slender (1/4 inch or less
thick), hollow....................................................................................... 2 1b Stem stout (more than 1/4 inch
thick), solid, or filled with a webby pith............................................... 3 2a Cap and stem dark gray-brown or
slate gray; gills adnate, not decurrent, white, or tinged pale gray ........ Hygrophorus unguinosus CAP 3/4 to 2 inches broad, convex, finally nearly flat, slimy; flesh thin, white or grayish. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS deeply notched at the stem, rather thick. STEM longer than the width of the cap, slimy, gray, fragile. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4-5 microns; PL. 2b Cap dull olive brown; gills
decurrent, pink or pale grayish lavender (stem usually also the same color).......................................................................................................... see H. laetus, in section II 3a (1b) Gills and stem pale yellow to
bright yellow............................................................. Hygrophorus hypothejus 3b Gills and stem white or pallid,
lacking yellow colors............................................................................ 4 4a Top of stem (the dry part, above
the slimy sheath) covered with conspicuous dark gray dots or granules................................................................................................................ Hygrophorus pustulatus 4b Top of stem lacking any gray dots
or granules........................................................................... 5 REMARKS If stem is fuscous dotted or scabrous, but cap 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches
broad, consider H. fuligineus (see Appendix). 5a Glutinous sheath of the stem
underlain by a layer of black or very dark olive gray fibrils that form
conspicuous patches and irregular bands as the stem lengthens................................... Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus 5b Lower part of stem, beneath the
glutinous sheath, white or pallid, lacking black or olive-gray fibrils...... 6 6a Stem short and stout, 1/2 inch or
more thick, scarcely longer than the width of the cap........ Hygrophorus fuscoalbus CAP 1 to 2 inches broad, convex, dark brownish gray becoming ash gray; flesh grayish white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate or decurrent, white with a slight flush of pinkish cream when mature. STEM white, with a layer or wooly white fibrils underneath the slime sheath. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-13 x 5.5-7 microns; DV. REMARKS H. fuscoalboides is a similar species with dry stem (see Appendix). If cap is 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches broad and spores 7-9 x 4.5 x 5.5, consider H. fuligineus (see Appendix). 6b Stem long and slender, less than
1/2 inch thick, and twice as long or more than twice as long as the width of
the cap................................................................................................. Hygrophorus megasporus CAP 1 to 2 inches broad, convex, dark olive-gray-brown, becoming paler at the margin; flesh thin, white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate or slightly decurrent, white. STEM white, lacking a sheath of fibrils beneath the slime sheath. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 12-20 x 7-9 microns; DV. NOTES The only sure way to separate H. fuscoalbus and H. megasporus is by the size of the spores, since the dimensions of the mushrooms as given in the key lead may well overlap. REMARKS If stem less than 1/2 inch thick, but stem not twice as long as cap,
and cap +/- stem gray, consider H. occidentalis (see Appendix). __________________________________________________________________________________ B. Cap viscid, stem not viscid (cap brown or gray). 1a Gills shell pink or rose pink (from
the first)..................................................................... Hygrophorus calophyllus 1b Gills not pink (may be white, gray,
pale buff, or pale dingy grayish lilac).............................................. 2 2a Odor strong and characteristic.................................................................................................. 3 2b Odor none, or faint but not special
or distinctive........................................................................ 5 3a Odor of green corn............................................................................... see
H. rainierensis, section VII 3b Odor not of green corn...................................................................................................................... 4 4a Odor of almond (i.e. almond
flavoring, benzaldehyde)......................................... Hygrophorus agathosmus 4b Odor penetrating and aromatic, but
not of almond......................... see H. pacificus, in section III 5a (2b) Mature cap cinnamon brown or
reddish brown with slight purplish cast; gills pale dingy grayish lilac ........ Hygrophorus colemannianus 5b Mature cap gray, olive gray, or dark
grayish olive brown.................................................................... 6 REMARKS If 5a and 5b do not fit, cap is dark yellowish brown, gills grayish
brown, and stem grayish pallid, consider H. avellaneifolius in Appendix.
If 5a and 5b do not fit, cap is dingy yellowish brown with buff margin,
appearing fibrillose streaked, gills and stem are whitish, and stem has median
fibrillose zone, consider H. siccipes in Appendix. If 5a and 5b do not
fit, cap is hygrophanous violet-gray-brown, gills decurrent and violet-gray,
and stem white or tinged cap color, consider H. subviolaceus in
Appendix. 6a Cap, stem, and gills white at
first, soon becoming ash gray, dark slate gray, or dark gray with olive tones;
growing only in early spring, usually close to melting snow............................ Hygrophorus marzuolus 6b Cap and stem colored from the
first; gills white and remaining so..................... Hygrophorus camarophyllus REMARKS If cap is 1 to 2 inches broad, cap and stem dark gray brown, with
violaceous to vinaceous brown gills, and often snowbank habitat, see H.
angelesianus (now Neohygrophorus angelesianus) in Appendix. If cap
is 1 1/2 to 2 inches broad with acute umbo, cap and flesh grayish, gills white
to pale gray, stem white, consider H. acutus (see Appendix). If cap is
1/2 to 2 inches broad, cap pallid to grayish brown or dark brown, stem white to
brownish and furfuraceous-flocculent, consider H. morrisii (see
Appendix.). If cap is 1/2 to 1 inch broad, cap +/- stem olive brown, and
especially if cap is circumferentially cracked, consider H. recurvatus (see
Appendix). __________________________________________________________________________________ C. Neither cap nor stem viscid (cap brown or gray). 1a Gills bright orange; margin of
mature cap orange................. see H. marginatus var. olivaceus,
sect. IX 1b Gills not orange; margin of cap
never becoming orange....................................................................... 2 2a Cap 3/8 to 1 1/4 inches broad.................................................................................................. 3 2b Cap 2 to 5 or 6 inches broad................................................................................................... 4 REMARKS If cap 1 1/4 to 2 1/4 inches broad with streaky dark grayish brown
fibrils over cap and lower stem, and cap fringed with marginal remnants, see H.
inocybiformis in Appendix. If cap 1 to 2 1/4 inches broad with hygrophanous
violet-gray-brown, decurrent violet-gray gills, and stem white or tinged cap
color, consider H. subviolaceus in Appendix. If cap 1 to 2 inches broad
with gray brown disc and vinaceous buff toward margin, gills are pale pinkish
cinnamon, stem white, and odor almond, consider H. vinicolor in
Appendix. 3a Cap smooth; gills dark grayish
lilac; stem white or pallid..................................................... Hygrophorus cinereus CAP convex, dark purplish brown, fading to pale grayish lilac; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, distant. STEM about as long as the width of the cap, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, pallid. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 microns; IW. 3b Cap scaly; gills pale gray with or
without a slight violet tinge; stem grayish brown................................... ............................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus atro-olivaceus CAP convex, very dark blackish brown; flesh brittle, watery. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS somewhat decurrent, well spaced, thick. STEM 1 to 2 inches long, up to 3/8 inch thick, same color as the cap, but paler. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-6 x 3-4.5 microns; PL. REMARKS If 3a and 3b do not fit because odor is strong of mothballs,
consider H. foetens (see Appendix). 4a (2b) Cap, stem, and gills white at
first, soon becoming ash gray, dark slate gray, or dark gray with olive tones;
growing only in early spring, usually close to melting snow see H. marzuolus,
subgroup B, this section 4b Cap and stem colored from the
first; gills white and remaining so, or occasionally tinged slightly gray in
age; growing in the fall, rarely in the spring.................................................................................. ......................................................................... see
H. camarophyllus, subgroup B, this section __________________________________________________________________________________ IX. Cap grass-green or olive-green. As there are only two species in this section, the
usual division into subgroups A, B, and C is not necessary. 1a Stem slimy..................................................................................................................... Hygrophorus psittacinus 1b Stem smooth and moist, but not
viscid.................................................... Hygrophorus marginatus var. olivaceus CAP 1 to 2 inches broad, moist or soapy-feeling, but not viscid, dark grayish olive green or dark brownish olive, remaining so at the center, the margin becoming orange; flesh thin and fragile, grayish olive. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate, broad, bright orange, not fading or changing color with age. STEM 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, fragile, satiny, bright yellow-green, becoming pallid yellow tinged with green. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6.5-8 x 4-5 microns; PL. REMARKS The greenish blue H. caeruleus with unpleasant odor might key
out here (see Appendix). __________________________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX -
ADDITIONAL SPECIES I. Cap white. Hygrophorus albicarneus CAP 0.8-1.2 cm, viscid, convex becoming shallowly depressed, white to pinkish, drying pallid to pinkish buff; flesh whitish. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent to adnate-decurrent, white becoming pale pink. STEM 2-3 x 0.2-0.3 cm, dry, pallid to dingy, bald or with appressed fibrils. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 11-16 x 8-12 microns; PL. REMARKS features include small size, white to pinkish viscid cap, snowbank habitat, and large spores: see H. goetzii for other snowbank species. Hygrophorus acutoconicus Hygrophorus albiflavus CAP 3 cm, viscid, convex, white, becoming warm buff to ochraceous buff on drying; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate-decurrent, pallid. STEM 5 x 0.7 cm, viscid, pallid, bald up to fibrillose ring near top. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 10-14 x 6.5-7.5 microns. DV. REMARKS H. velatus also has veil but H. velatus has smaller spores; H. flavodiscus has smaller spores (6-8 x 3.5-5 microns) and lacks the fibrillose ring. Hygrophorus cossus - see section
II Hygrophorus flavodiscus - see section II Hygrophorus melizeus forma minor (Hesler & Smith call it Hygrophorus karstenii Sacc. & Cub. forma minor Bres.) CAP 3-5 cm, somewhat viscid but soon dry, broadly convex to nearly flat with inrolled margin, creamy white; flesh thick, soft, white. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, creamy yellowish. STEM 3-5 x 0.6-1.2 cm, dry, whitish. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4.5-5 microns; DV. REMARKS features include somewhat viscid chalk white cap, contrasting decurrent creamy yellowish gills, and dry whitish stem; H. saxatilis similar but has salmon to pinkish cinnamon gills and peach odor. Hygrophorus russocoriaceus (Hygrophorus lawrencei Hesler & A.H. Sm. is a synonym) Hygrophorus subpungens
- see section II II. Cap ivory, pale cream, pale buff or beige, pale salmon or flesh
color, pale yellowish or vinaceous buff or pallid cinnamon; usually uniformly
colored, but the margin may be somewhat lighter than the center. Hygrophorus albicarneus see section I Hygrophorus burgdorfensis CAP 1-3.5 cm, viscid, convex becoming flat, hygrophanous, when young and fresh pale yellow fading to pinkish buff, striate when moist and mature; flesh thin but firm. ODOR faintly medicinal. TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, distant, broad, buff, unchanging when bruised but gradually becoming more yellow in age. STEM 5-7 x 0.25-0.4 cm, dull white, twisted-striate in some specimens. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9(10) x 4-5 microns, IW. Hygrophorus caeruleus CAP 5-9 cm, broadly convex, cream to dingy cream with a tint of blue, especially over margin, felty, moist to touch but not viscid, bald, coarsely cracked with areolate areas, older caps may develop fibrillose scales; flesh dingy cream color tinted bluish green, bruising bluish-gray to blue-green but soon fading. ODOR strong disagreeable odor of rancid meal. TASTE mild at first but soon unpleasant. GILLS broadly adnate to short decurrent, close to subdistant or in age distant, bluish green. STEM 2.5-5 x 1.5-2.5 cm, narrowing abruptly at base; bluish-green to dingy light brown, nearly cream at top; dry, pruinose at top, the rest with appressed fibrils, usually twisted somewhat, base with numerous white rhizomorphs. MICROSTRUCTURES spores (6.5)7-9 x 4-5 microns, inamyloid; IW. REMARKS This species was not included in the Hesler and Smith monograph as it was not described until 1984: it is distinctive by its color supported by its robust stature and rancid farinaceous odor. Hygrophorus cossus CAP 3-7 cm, slimy, obtuse expanding to nearly flat, whitish or "pale pinkish-buff", at maturity becoming slightly more ochraceous or flushed salmon color and retaining either tint in drying; flesh soft, white. ODOR distinctly aromatic. TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate to decurrent, white becoming salmon-buff. STEM 4-9 x (0.3)0.8-1.2 cm, slimy gluten covers lower part, white becoming yellowish, lower part salmon-buff to cinnamon-buff in age, fibrillose-punctate to scabrous at top, lower part covered by slimy gluten; thin inner white fibrillose veil, covered with slimy glutinous layer. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-4.5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus ellenae Hygrophorus flavodiscus CAP 2-7 cm, slimy, convex to flat; white with disc that is yellow to orange or orange tan, the color eventually spreading over the whole cap, or if covered by leaves the cap may remain white; flesh firm, thick, white. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS adnate or decurrent, pinkish becoming whitish, sometimes interveined. STEM 3-7.5 x 0.6-1.4 cm, slimy nearly to top, white or somewhat stained with yellow, fibrillose or dotted at top, slimy universal veil, ring gelatinous. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 3.5-5 microns; DV. REMARKS differentiated from H. gliocyclus by having gills pinkish fading to whitish, usually more slender stem, cap white when fresh with yellow to orange disc, and smaller spores (6-8 x 3.5-5 microns), but both species have been considered synonyms of Hygrophorus ligatus Fr.; H. albiflavus has a fibrillose ring and larger spores. Hygrophorus glutinosus CAP 4-5(10) cm, glutinous, convex, broad umbo; disc "cream buff", rest of cap "ivory-yellow" drying bright "primuline yellow"; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE none. GILLS adnate to rounded-adnate, broad near stem, abruptly narrowed near margin, white then "ivory-yellow". STEM 4-9 x 0.8-1.5 cm, glutinous-viscid and floccose-tomentose up to collar near top, white, slime leaving yellowish-brown stains or spots (simulating reticulations), watery drops near top dry to form reddish dots. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-10 x 5-6 microns; DV. REMARKS H. flavodiscus does not have pronounced red dots near top of stem, and has smaller spores (6-8 x 3.5-5 microns). Hygrophorus goetzii Hygrophorus graveolens CAP 3-6.5 cm, dry or moist, not hygrophanous, convex, orange-white to pale pinkish cinnamon beneath pale cinnamon hoary coating, becoming paler toward margin; flesh pinkish cinnamon. ODOR sweetish and sickening according to Hesler and Smith, but according to Largent decidedly fragrant at first, becoming faint with age but always detectable. TASTE mild. GILLS adnate to short decurrent, subdistant to distant, colored as cap or slightly darker, interveined. STEM 4-7 x 0.5-1.4 cm, narrowing downward, solid, colored as cap but generally lighter; silky-striate, somewhat hoary at first. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 microns; IW. REMARKS similar to H. pratensis but light pinkish cinnamon with fragrant odor: according to Largent, when H. pratensis is fairly fragrant, nearly identical and H. graveolens is identified by light pinkish cinnamon colors, hoary cap, and slightly larger spores (6-9 x 4-6 microns instead of 5-8 x 4-5.5 microns). Hygrophorus melizeus forma minor - see section I. Hygrophorus russocoriaceus - see section I. Hygrophorus subpungens CAP 1.5-3(4)cm, viscid, obtusely conical when young becoming flat or with slight umbo; dull whitish at first, developing a yellowish or more often pinkish brown to salmon brown to light yellowish brown discoloration on the disc, which may spread over the whole cap; flesh thin, soft, dull white, then sometimes browner. ODOR faint spicy fragrant (Hesler & Smith), faintly aromatic, sweet or fruity, fades quickly with maturity, (Largent). TASTE mild. GILLS adnate becoming short-decurrent, whitish at first then quickly pale pinkish cinnamon to almost cinnamon. STEM 2.5-4 x 0.3-0.7 cm, dry, whitish, becoming dingy where handled; pruinose all over becoming bald. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-8 x 4.5-5 microns (Hesler & Smith), 6.6-10.2 x 4.1-6.1 microns, (Largent); DV. REMARKS H. discoideus has a glutinous veil with remnants on stem, darker colors and larger spores. III. Cap some shade of tan or brown, usually bright, in the center,
pallid or almost white on the margin. (this color pattern is called "bicolorous") Hygrophorus discoideus CAP 2-5 cm, slimy to viscid, convex or with slight umbo, hazel to chestnut on disc, buff near margin, bald or slightly downy near margin; flesh thin, close to brick-color. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, narrow, whitish or tinged buff (yellowish in var. californicus). STEM 4-9 x 0.3-0.5 cm, (0.4-1.0 cm wide in var. californicus), slightly viscid in lower part, white, upper part with white fibrillose points, occasionally staining pale yellow at base. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5.5-7 x 3.5-4.5 microns, (6-9 microns long in some European descriptions, and var. californicus 7-10 x 4-6 microns); DV. REMARKS H. hypothejus can look similar but H. discoideus differs in having a more yellow-brown to orange-brown cap with a darker center; like H. bakerensis in color, but H. discoideus has viscid stem and mild odor; like H. variicolor somewhat in color but H. variicolor is larger, with white gills that dry reddish brown, and an aromatic odor. Hygrophorus flavodiscus
- see section II Hygrophorus glutinosus
- see section II Hygrophorus subpungens
- see section II Hygrophorus tennesseensis Hygrophorus velatus CAP 1.5-3 cm, viscid, convex, expanding, very pale pinkish, bald; flesh medium thin, whitish. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, rather close to subdistant, medium broad, pale buff. STEM 3-5 x 0.4-0.6 cm, dry, equal, pallid to pale buff, white-fibrillose above veil remnants; veil copious, white-fibrillose. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5.5-6(8) x 3.5-4 microns, DV. IV. Cap definitely yellow, some bright shade such as lemon yellow, egg
yolk yellow, deep yellow tinged with orange, etc. Hygrophorus acutoconicus Hygrophorus cantharellus see section VI. Hygrophorus ceraceus CAP 1-4 cm, slightly viscid, convex, disc may be depressed;
hygrophanous, golden yellow fading to straw yellow; flesh yellowish. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS broadly adnate to subdecurrent, broadest near stem, pale yellow to near white. STEM 2-5 x 0.2-0.4 cm, slightly viscid but soon dry, colored as cap, hollow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5.5-8 x 4-5 microns; PL. Hygrophorus flavodiscus - see
section II Hygrophorus hondurensis - see
section VI. Hygrophorus luteo-omphaloides CAP 0.3-0.8 cm, moist, convex to broadly conic, hygrophanous, lemon yellow when young, more ochraceous in age, pale yellowish when faded; bald, not striate; flesh thin, fragile, colored as cap. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, distant, broad, yellow. STEM 1-1.5 x 0.05-0.1 cm, moist, solid or hollow; yellow, in age paler than cap or white below; bald. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6.5-9.5 x 4-5 microns. REMARKS rare; formerly Omphalina occidentalis, it was not treated by Hesler & Smith and consequently has never been a Hygrophorus; distinguished from omphalinoid species by combination of yellow colors throughout, small size, growth on moss and presence of clamp connections, and separated from small brightly colored Mycenas growing on moss or needles by absence of cystidia. Hygrophorus parvulus Hygrophorus subceraceus V. Cap orange. Hygrophorus acutoconicus - see section IV. Hygrophorus cantharellus - see section
VI. Hygrophorus hondurensis
- see section VI. Hygrophorus minutulus - see section VI. VI. Cap some shade of bright or deep red, such as vermilion, scarlet,
blood red, cherry red, etc. but not purplish red or wine red or brownish
red. Hygrophorus cantharellus Hygrophorus hondurensis CAP 1-1.5 cm, very viscid, convex to slightly depressed; red to yellow; striate; flesh thin, deep yellow. GILLS short-decurrent, "ivory yellow". STEM 3-4 x 0.1-0.2 cm, very viscid, yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-7 x 3-4.5 microns. PL. REMARKS rare, and Hesler & Smith identification for WA qualified by "in all probability". Hygrophorus minutulus CAP 0.5-1.5 cm, viscid to lubricous, convex, disc not depressed; hygrophanous, bright red when young, with age remaining bright red on disc and becoming yellowish on margin, eventually fading to reddish orange on disc and orangish to orangish yellow on margin; bald; flesh colored as cap surface. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS adnate to adnexed or with decurrent tooth, close to subdistant, broad and somewhat broader in middle, yellowish when young, becoming orangish from the cap downward. STEM 1.5-5 x 0.1-0.3 cm, glutinous or viscid, stuffed becoming hollow, at first red in upper part, yellowish or whitish in lower part, fading to yellow over all in age. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10.3 x 4-5(6) microns, (Hesler & Smith), 7-8.5 x 3-4 microns, (Largent), PL. REMARKS like H. subminiatus (in size) which is only slightly viscid, has white gills tinged yellow-buff; like H. subminutulus (recorded once from Florida, once from California) which has smaller spores (5-7 x 3-4 microns) but is otherwise identical according to Largent. VII. Cap brownish purple, wine red, purplish red, or streaked or mottled
with these colors on a white or pallid ground color. Hygrophorus nordmanensis - see Section VIII. Hygrophorus subviolaceus - see Section VIII. VIII. Cap uniformly some shade of brown (rusty brown, umber, cinnamon
brown, tobacco brown, olive brown, gray-brown, etc.) or gray. (not
bicolorous, as in III) Hygrophorus acutus CAP 3-4.5 cm, slightly viscid to viscid, conic with acute umbo, gray over umbo, browner toward margin; flesh grayish. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS adnexed to slightly decurrent, close to subdistant, whitish to pale gray; interveined. STEM 7-9 x 0.6-0.8 cm, white, sometimes small scales upper part. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-7(8) x 4-5.5 microns, PL. Hygrophorus angelesianus (now called Neohygrophorus angelesianus (A.H. Sm. & Hesler) Singer; Camarophyllus angelesianus and Clitocybe mutabilis are synonyms) CAP 2-5 cm, viscid (Hesler & Sm.), moist but not viscid (Bessette), convex, disc becoming slightly depressed; brownish gray to dark gray brown, margin scalloped-pleated; flesh thin, firm, dark gray. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, distant, violaceous when young to violaceous-brown or vinaceous-brown in age. STEM 4-5 x 0.3-0.45 cm, narrowing slightly downwards, inside stuffed, colored as cap, may have tint of violet at base with white or pale lilac-tinted mycelium, top fibrillose-furfuraceous, base whitish with appressed fibrils and scant white rhizomorphs, the rest bald. HABITAT on soil and needles, in or near melting snowbanks at high elevations in spring, but also in other situations. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-5.5 microns, smooth, amyloid; IW. REMARKS red reaction in 3% KOH of gill and stem tissue. H. subviolaceus similar but fades differently and spores inamyloid. For other snowbank species see H. goetzii. Hygrophorus avellaneifolius CAP 3-5 cm, viscid, convex to obtuse becoming more or less flat; dark yellowish brown, sometimes zoned in age; flesh brownish near cap skin, grayish toward stem. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS broadly adnate to decurrent, "avellaneous" or nearly so. STEM 4-6 x 0.9-1.8 cm, dry, grayish pallid, solid. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 3.5-4.5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus
discoideus - see
section III Hygrophorus foetens Hygrophorus fuligineus CAP 4-12 cm, glutinous, convex becoming obtuse or flat, at first blackish brown to dark olive brown, slightly paler toward the margin, somewhat radially streaked after the colorless gluten dries, cap cuticle (cap skin) separable, margin even; flesh thick, white. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate or subdecurrent, whitish to creamy white. STEM 4-10 x 1.0-2.5 cm, slimy, equal or narrowing downward, sometimes wider at base, solid, white, slightly silky or bald in upper part, but at times scabrous. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 microns; DV. REMARKS somewhat like H. hypothejus but does not develop yellow colors. Hygrophorus fuscoalboides CAP 5-7 cm, viscid, conic becoming flat; gray; streaked; flesh medium thick on disc, thin on margin. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS subdecurrent, broad, white. STEM 3.5-5 x 0.8-1.0 cm dry, equal, or club-shaped widening downward to 2.0 cm; gray, white above, with a thin coating of gray fibrils below the line where the veil breaks. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-13 x 5.5-7 microns, DV. REMARKS like H. fuscoalbus but has dry stem. Hygrophorus inocybiformis Hygrophorus monticola Hygrophorus morrisii CAP 1.5-4(5) cm, viscid to slimy, convex, obtusely conic, becoming flat with conic umbo; at first pallid or gray brown or dark brown, developing an obscure yellowish tone in places, skin separable; flesh whitish then gray at least under cap skin. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate then short-decurrent; white but may be grayish or yellowish near cap skin. STEM 3-9 x 0.3-0.9 cm, equal or narrowing downward, solid, white, pallid or brownish, in age with dingy-yellow stains; furfuraceous-flocculent. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-11 x 5-7 microns; DV. REMARKS similar to H. pustu-latus but evenly colored cap with no pustules, and stem that may be scurfy but is not rough and scabrous with black points. Hygrophorus nordmanensis Hygrophorus occidentalis CAP 2-8 cm, glutinous, convex becoming uplifted; disc gray, margin whitish to pale gray; somewhat streaked-fibrillose; flesh thin, white. ODOR not distinctive to somewhat sweet to slightly almondlike. TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate to decurrent, white to cream. STEM 2-7 x 0.3-1.0 cm, slimy in lower part, equal but narrowing at base, solid, pallid or colored as cap, or whitish apart from pale gray top and pale yellow; with appressed white fibrils underneath slime, top white-dotted or pruinose. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 3.5-5 microns; DV. REMARKS can be described when mature as a gray H. eburneus, scarcely distinguishable when young before colors develop; somewhat like H. agathosmus which has stronger almond odor, lighter gray cap, and white dry stem; somewhat like H. fuscoalbus which has larger spores (9-13 x 5.5-7 microns). Hygrophorus odoratus CAP 2-4 cm, viscid, obtuse to broadly convex, becoming flat or disc slightly depressed and margin arched; dark ashy gray over disc, paler gray to pallid along margin, when old with faint ochraceous tinge throughout; fibrillose-streaked to matted-fibrillose under viscidity; flesh soft, pallid. ODOR strongly aromatic, of bitter almonds. TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, distant, broad, whitish becoming creamy. STEM 4-8 x 0.3-0.6 cm, dry, equal or narrowing downward, pallid at first, unchanging with bruising but yellows on handling and dries with faint ochraceous tinge, faintly silky at top. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 11-14 x 6.5-8 microns; DV. REMARKS H. agathosmus somewhat similar but H. odoratus has yellowish tinged cap, more slender stem that yellows on handling, and larger spores. Hygrophorus recurvatus Hygrophorus siccipes CAP 2-3 cm, slimy, convex, pale tan to dingy yellowish brown with buff margin ("Isabella color" with a "warm buff" margin, disc becoming cinnamon-tinged and then more or less "sayal brown"), appearing fibrillose-streaked under slime. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, distant, narrow, whitish becoming buff ("ivory yellow" becoming "warm buff"). STEM 4-6 x 0.3-0.6 cm, dry, whitish becoming buff
("ivory yellow" becoming "warm buff"), partial veil leaves a median fibrillose zone. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-10 x 4-5 microns; DV. REMARKS according to Hesler & Smith like H. hypothejus in all other characters but without gelatinous veil on stem. Hygrophorus subviolaceus CAP 2-6 cm, slightly viscid when moist, broadly convex to flat or uplifted; hygrophanous, violet-gray to violet-brown at least at margin when moist, center often paler, fading as it dries to gray or pallid; margin striate when fresh and moist, cap skin separable; flesh colored like cap or paler. ODOR mild or earthy. TASTE mild to bitter or subnauseous or slightly peppery. GILLS decurrent, subdistant to distant, whitish soon becoming smoky violet or gray with a violet tinge, interveined. STEM 3-7 x 0.4-1.1(1.7) cm, dry, equal or narrowing downward, often curved at base; white or tinged cap color, solid becoming
hollow, appressed-fibrillose. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-9 x 4-7 microns: IW. REMARKS Violet-tinged gills are unusual in Hygrophorus. H. angelesianus (Neohygrophorus angelesianus) has amyloid spores, non-fading cap, most often at high elevations spring and summer. H.
rainierensis has strong green corn odor. H. cinereus has dry cap, mild taste, and larger spores. H. colemannianus has viscid, brown to
pinkish-gray to buff cap. Hygrophorus vinicolor CAP 2.5-5 cm, slightly viscid soon dry, obtuse with inrolled margin, "wood brown" on disc and "vinaceous-buff" toward margin, margin may be pink in age; flesh
white, or wine-colored near cuticle (cap skin), unchanging. ODOR aromatic, almond, like H. agathosmus. TASTE disagreeable. GILLS decurrent, distant, broad, near "pale pinkish cinnamon" (almost the color of H. saxatilis). STEM 3-5 x 1-2 cm, dry, solid, white, minutely pruinose at first with powder developing a pinkish tone. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 10-14 x 6-8 microns; DV. REMARKS like H.
monticola (and could possibly be a variant according to Hesler and Smith who described both species) but H. vinicolor has pale pinkish-cinnamon
gills, disagreeable taste and pink powder on stem. IX. Cap grass-green or olive-green. Hygrophorus caeruleus - see
section II unusual greenish blue color might cause it to key out here,
especially as it does not fit earlier sections well. GLOSSARY areolate - surface cracked
into plaques or blocks, like the cracking that occurs when mud dries in the sun divergent - of gill hyphae,
projecting outward and downward away from cap as seen in cross-section drab - a dull medium or
brownish gray, dark gray with shades of yellow; gray with violet overtones; in
Ridgway 1912, a gray-brown dry - surface not sticky or
slimy or hygrophanous, feeling as if there is no moisture on surface emarginate - of gills, with a
notch near stem, may be equated with abruptly adnexed, or sinuate, or a deeper
notch of the sinuate type equal - of a stem, the same
diameter throughout its length farinaceous - of odor, with
the smell of fresh ground meal from whole grain, especially wheat flocculent - with fine, easily
removed cottony or woolly tufts; finely woolly or cottony furfuraceous - scurfy, surface
covered with branlike particles resembling scales, coarser than granular gelatinous - jelly-like in
consistency or appearance gluten - the dissolved
gelatinous hyphae of certain tissues glutinous - slimy, having a
highly viscid gelatinous layer, more than viscid hazel - light to moderate
yellowish brown; the color of the shell of the ripe hazelnut hygrophanous - cap surface
changing color markedly as it dries, usually having a water-soaked appearance
when wet and turning a lighter opaque color on drying interveined - of gills,
connected by "veins" (ridges) that run between gills interwoven - hyphae entwined
or tangled, not forming a regular pattern Isabella color - color of
unbleached linen, dingy yellowish brown to pale tan lubricous - greasy or slippery
or oily but not viscid (sticky) or slimy moist - having a slightly wet
appearance or feel, not dry, lubricous, or viscid neotype - specimen or other
material designated as nomenclatural type when all the original material is
missing obtuse - blunt, not pointed;
greater than a right angle omphalinoid - of general form
of the genus Omphalina, with broadly convex to depressed cap, decurrent or
subdecurrent gills, cartilaginous stem, and no ring or volva; or loosely
applied to indicate agarics with decurrent gills and small fruitbodies parallel - of hyphae, arranged
more or less parallel to each other pliant - being pliable without
breaking, flexible, not rigid or firm pruinose - looking finely
powdered or finely granular recurved - curved back: when
used of cap margin or scales means curved back reticulations - markings that
form a network rhizomorph - cordlike strand
of twisted hyphae present around base of stem sayal - close to cinnamon in
color, dark to dull cinnamon; between a moderate orange and a moderate
yellowish-brown scabrous - roughened by short
projecting rigid scales scurfy - surface covered with
branlike particles resembling scales, same as furfuraceous sensu - in the sense of slimy - having a thick layer
of slime, more than viscid or glutinous sordid - dingy-looking squamule - fine scale stature - characteristic shape striate - marked with lines or
fine grooves, generally longitudinal on stem and radiating on cap subdecurrent - of gills, meaning
short decurrent or nearly decurrent or somewhat decurrent (i.e. intermediate
between adnate and decurrent, when attachment extends slightly further down
stem than when adnate) subviscid - slightly sticky,
thinly viscid trama - the tissue under the
surface cell layers of cap, stem, or gills umbo - a raised knob or mound
at the center of the cap umbonate - having a raised
knob or mound at the center of the cap viscid - sticky but not slimy
or lubricous: the mushroom usually feels somewhat slimy or slippery when wet
but when dry may need to be wetted slightly to feel sticky; sometimes used to
include slimy REFERENCES 1.
Arnolds, Eef. 1995. "Hygrophoraceae
(Agaricales) in New York State and adjacent areas. 1. Introduction and
Hygrocybe Subsec. Squamulosae." Mycotaxon 53: 1-27. 2.
Bessette, Alan E., Arleen R. Bessette, Orson K.
Miller, Hope H. Miller. 1995. Mushrooms of North America in Color: A Field
Guide to Seldom-Illustrated Fungi. Syracuse University Press. 3.
Bigelow, Howard E. 1970. "Omphalina in North
America". Mycologia 62: 1-32. 4.
Hesler, L.R., A.H. Smith. 1963. North
American Species of Hygrophorus. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. 5.
Breitenbach, J., F. Kränzlin. 1991. Fungi
of Switzerland Volume 3 Boletes and Agarics First Part. Edition
Mykologia Lucerne. 6.
Kernaghan, Gavin, R.S. Currah. 1998.
"Ectomycorrhizal Fungi at Tree Line in the Canadian Rockies" Mycotaxon
69: 39-80. 7.
Largent, D.L. 1994. The Agaricales (Gilled
Fungi) of California 5. Hygrophoraceae. Mad River Press, Eureka,
California. 8.
Norvell, Lorelei L., Scott A. Redhead, &
Joseph F. Ammirati. 1994. ”Omphalina sensu lato in North America 1-2. 9.
1: Omphalina wynniae and the genus Chrysomphalina
2: Omphalina sensu Bigelow.” Mycotaxon 50: 379-407. 10.
Miller, Orson K. 1984. "A New Species of
Hygrophorus from North America." Mycologia 76(5): 816-819. 11.
Redhead, S.A , Joseph F. Ammirati, Lorelei L.
Norvell & Michelle T. Seidl 2000. "Notes on western North American
Snowbank Fungi." Mycotaxon 76: 321-328. INDEX ......... KEY
ENTRY PAGE HYGROCYBE
(Fr.) P. Kumm. H.
luteo-omphaloides Norvell, Redhead & Ammirati..................................................................................................... 10,
24 HYGROPHORUS
Fr. H.
acutoconicus (Clem.) A.H. Sm.......................................................................................................................... 10,
13, 23, 24 H.
acutus A.H. Sm. & Hesler........................................................................................................................................ 19,
25, 27 H.
agathosmus Fr...................................................................................................................... VIII
B 4a.................... 17, 18, 27 H.
albicarneus Hesler & A.H. Sm............................................................................................................................. 4,
20, 21, 22 H.
albiflavus Hesler & A.H. Sm...................................................................................................................................... 3,
20, 22 H.
amarus A.H. Sm. & Hesler....................................................................................................... II
B 1a......................... 6, 9, 11 H. angelesianus A. H. Sm. & Hesler...................................................................................................................... 19,
22, 25, 27 H.
atro-olivaceus A.H. Sm. & Hesler...................................................................................... VIII
C 3b.......................... 19, 27 H.
avellaneifolius Hesler & A.H. Sm................................................................................................................................. 18,
25 H.
bakerensis A.H. Sm. & Hesler............................................................................................... III
B 2b............................. 8, 23 H.
borealis Peck.............................................................................................................................. I
C 1b................................... 4 H.
burgdorfensis Hesler & A.H. Sm.................................................................................................................................... 6,
21 H.
caeruleus O.K.Mill................................................................................................................................................ 7,
20, 21, 27 H.
calophyllus Karsten............................................................................................................. VIII
B 1a................................ 18 H.
camarophyllus (Fr.) Dumée et al........................................................................................ VIII
B 6b.......................... 19, 20 H.
cantharellus (Schw.) Fr................................................................................................................................................... 14,
24 H.
capreolarius (Kalchbr.) Sacc................................................................................................ VII
B 4a.......................... 15, 16 H.
ceraceus (Fr.) Fr................................................................................................................................................................. 9,
24 H.
chlorophanus (Fr.) Fr............................................................................................................. IV
A 5b................................... 9 H.
chrysaspis Metrod.................................................................................................................... I
A 4a................................... 3 H.
chrysodon (Fr.) Fr..................................................................................................................... I
A 1a............................... 3, 5 H.
cinereus Fr............................................................................................................................. VIII
C 3a.................... 16, 19, 27 H.
citrinopallidus A.H. Sm. & Hesler........................................................................................ IV
A 2a............................... 3, 9 H.
coccineus (Fr.) Fr. sensu Hesler & A.H. Sm....................................................................... VI
B 4b............... 11, 12, 13 14 H.
colemannianus Blox. apud Berk......................................................................................... VIII
B 5a.......................... 18, 27 H.
conicus (Fr.) Fr........................................................................................................................ VI
B 1a.............. 11, 12, 13, 14 H.
cossus Fr............................................................................................................................................................................ 5,
21 H.
cremicolor (Murrill) Murrill...................................................................................................... II
C 3a................................... 7 H.
cuspidatus Peck...................................................................................................................... VI
B 3b.............. 10, 11, 13, 24 H.
discoideus (Fr.) Fr....................................................................................................................................................... 8,
23, 25 H.
eburneus (Fr.) Fr....................................................................................................................... I
A 4b............................. 3, 27 H.
ellenae Hesler & A.H. Sm............................................................................................................................................. 6,
7, 22 H.
erubescens (Fr.) Fr.................................................................................................................. VI
B 4b............................ 6, 16 H.
flavescens (Kauffman) A.H. Sm. & Hesler.......................................................................... IV
B 2b...................... 2, 10, 11 H.
flavodiscus Frost apud Peck................................................................................................................... 5,
20, 21, 22, 23, 24 H.
foetens Phillips apud Berk. & Broome......................................................................................................................... 19,
26 H.
fuligineus Frost apud Peck............................................................................................................................................ 17,
26 H.
fuscoalboides Hesler & A.H. Sm............................................................................................................................ 17,
19, 26 H.
fuscoalbus (Lasch) Fr......................................................................................................... VIII
A 6a.............. 17, 18, 26, 27 H.
gliocyclus Fr............................................................................................................................. II
A 4b......................... 3, 5, 22 H.
glutinosus Peck........................................................................................................................................................... 5,
22, 23 H.
goetzii Hesler & A.H. Sm..................................................................................................................................... 6,
20, 22, 25 H.
graveolens A.H. Sm. & Hesler.................................................................................................................................. 7,
12, 22 H.
hondurensis (Murrill) Murrill........................................................................................................................................ 24,
25 H.
hypothejus (Fr.) Fr.............................................................................................................. VIII
A 3b.... 9, 16, 17, 23, 26, 27 H.
inocybiformis A.H. Sm................................................................................................................................................... 19,
26 H.
karstenii Sacc. & Cub. forma minor Bres............................................................................................................................ 21 H.
lawrencei Hesler & A.H. Sm................................................................................................................................................. 21 H.
laetus (Fr.) Fr............................................................................................................................ II
A 3a................. 5, 11, 15, 16 H.
marginatus Peck var. marginatus.......................................................................................... V
C 5a................................ 12 H.
marginatus Peck var. olivacea A.H. Sm. & Hesler............................................................... IX
1b.......................... 19, 20 H.
marzuolus (Fr.) Bres............................................................................................................. VIII
B 6a.......................... 19, 20 H.
megasporus A.H. Sm. & Hesler......................................................................................... VIII
A 6b................................ 18 H.
melizeus (Fr.:Fr.) Fr. forma minor.............................................................................................................................. 4,
21, 22 H.
miniatus (Fr.) Fr....................................................................................................................... VI
C 4b.............. 10, 11, 14, 24 H.
minutulus Peck.................................................................................................................................................... 12,
13, 24, 25 H.
monticola Hesler and A.H. Sm.................................................................................................................................. 8,
26, 27 H.
morrisii Peck..................................................................................................................................................................... 19,
26 H.
nitidus Berk. & Curt............................................................................................................... IV
A 4a................................... 9 H.
niveus Fr..................................................................................................................................... I
B 2a................................... 4 H.
nordmanensis Hesler & A.H. Sm............................................................................................................................ 15,
25, 26 H.
occidentalis A.H. Sm. & Hesler..................................................................................................................................... 18,
26 H.
odoratus A.H. Sm. & Hesler............................................................................................................................................ 8,
27 H.
olivaceoalbus (Fr.) Fr. var. olivaceoalbus sensu Hesler & A.H. Sm.......................... VIII
A 5a................................ 17 H.
pacificus A.H. Sm. & Hesler.................................................................................................. III
B 2a............................. 8, 18 H.
parvulus Peck.................................................................................................................................................................. 10,
24 H.
penarius Fr................................................................................................................................. II
B 3a........................... 4, 6, 7 H.
piceae Kühner & Romagn........................................................................................................ I
B 2b................................... 4 H.
pratensis (Fr.) Fr....................................................................................................................... V
C 5b...................... 7, 12, 22 H.
psittacinus (Fr.) Fr...................................................................................................................... IX
1a.................. 5, 9, 11, 20 H.
pudorinus (Fr.) Fr..................................................................................................................... II
B 5a............................... 6, 8 H.
puniceus (Fr.) Fr...................................................................................................................... VI
B 4a.......................... 11, 13 H.
purpurascens (Fr.) Fr............................................................................................................. VII
B 2a.......................... 15, 16 H.
pusillus Peck............................................................................................................................. II
B 2a................................... 6 H.
pustulatus (Fr.) Fr................................................................................................................ VIII
A 4a.................... 17, 18, 26 H.
rainierensis Hesler & A.H. Sm.............................................................................................. VII
B 1a.............. 15, 18, 26, 27 H.
reai Maire................................................................................................................................. VI
A 2a...................... 8, 11, 12 H.
recurvatus Peck............................................................................................................................................................... 19,
27 H.
russocoriaceus Berk. & Miller apud Berk. & Broome............................................................................................ 4,
21, 22 H.
saxatilis A.H. Sm. & Hesler..................................................................................................... II
B 5b................. 7, 21, 22, 27 H.
siccipes A.H. Sm. & Hesler...................................................................................................................................... 17,
19, 27 H.
singeri A.H. Sm. & Hesler..................................................................................................... VI
A 1a.................... 10, 12, 13 H.
sordidus Peck............................................................................................................................. I
B 3b............................... 4, 6 H.
speciosus Peck......................................................................................................................... V
A 2a....................... 9, 10,12 H.
squamulosus Ellis & Ev......................................................................................................... VI
C 4a.................... 10, 11, 14 H.
subalpinus A.H. Sm................................................................................................................... I
B 3a............................. 4, 22 H.
subceraceus (Murrill) Murrill........................................................................................................................................ 10,
24 H.
subminiatus (Murrill) Murrill................................................................................................. VI
B 2a.......................... 13, 25 H.
subpungens A.H. Sm. & Hesler................................................................................................................................ 6,
21, 23 H.
subviolaceus Peck.............................................................................................................................................. 19,
25, 26, 27 H.
tennesseensis A.H. Sm. & Hesler................................................................................................................................... 8,
23 H.
turundus (Fr.) Fr. var. turundus........................................................................................... VI
C 3a.................... 10, 11, 14 H.
turundus (Fr.) Fr. var. sphagnophilus (Peck) Hesler.................................................................................... 10,
11, 14, 24 H.
unguinosus (Fr.) Fr.............................................................................................................. VIII
A 2a................................ 16 H.
variicolor Murrill.......................................................................................................................... III
A......................... 7, 8, 23 H.
velatus Hesler & A.H. Sm.......................................................................................................................................... 6,
20, 23 H.
vernalis A.H. Sm...................................................................................................................... II
A 4a....................... 5, 15, 22 H.
vinicolor Hesler & A.H. Sm................................................................................................................................. 8,
19, 26, 27 H.
virgineus (Fr.) Fr........................................................................................................................ I
C 1a............................... 4, 7 -
END -CAP 1-3 inches broad. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, white with yellow edges. STEM as long or longer than the width of the cap, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, viscid except at the top. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 3.5-5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus chrysodon 
Michael BeugCAP 1 to 4 inches broad, convex, drying pale buff or yellowish. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, white, not discoloring markedly in age or when dried. STEM longer than width of cap, slender, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-9 x 3.5-5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus eburneus 
Michael BeugCAP 1 - 2 inches broad, convex; flesh thick at the center. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS adnate then somewhat decurrent, white becoming pale buff. STEM white, smooth below, fibrillose at apex. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-9 x 4-5.5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus piceae 
Michael BeugCAP 2 to 6 or 8 inches broad, sometimes larger, convex then shallowly concave; flesh thick. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, narrow, white. STEM dry, white, firm, solid. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-10 x 4.5-5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus subalpinus 
Michael BeugCAP 4-8 inches broad, convex; flesh thick. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, white, becoming slightly yellowish. STEM white, smooth. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 4-5.5 microns; DV. REMARKS H. penarius has slightly darker cap but may be the same species. Hygrophorus sordidus 
Ben WooCAP 1/2 to 2 inches broad; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, white. STEM smooth, dull, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4.5-6.5 microns; IW. /span> Hygrophorus borealis 
Michael BeugCAP 3 to 6 inches or more broad, convex, slimy; flesh thick, white. ODOR not special. GILLS adnate or decurrent, subdistant, white then pale yellow. STEM about 1 1/2 to 5 or 6 inches long, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-11 x 4.5-6 microns; DV. REMARKS the European version has been considered a synonym of Hygrophorus ligatus Fr. Hygrophorus gliocyclus 
Kit Scates BarnhartCAP 2 1/2 to 8 inches broad, pale apricot color or salmon pink at the center, paler pink at the margin; flesh thick, staining yellow then orange where bruised. ODOR faintly fragrant. GILLS adnate, pale pinkish or pinkish cream. STEM 4-8 inches long, 1/2 to 2 inches thick, white or flushed with pink. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9.5 x 4.5-5.5 microns; DV. H pudorinus var fragrans 
Michael BeugCAP 1 1/2 to 4 inches broad, convex or broadly umbonate, slightly viscid but soon becoming dry and then not appearing viscid, pale pinkish buff or pale pinkish cinnamon, margin paler; flesh pale pinkish buff, not staining yellow or orange where bruised. ODOR faint of dried peaches. GILLS decurrent, pale yellowish salmon or pinkish cinnamon. STEM as long as the width of the cap, 1/2 to 1 inches thick, same color as the cap at first, with age becoming same color as the gills. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9.5 x 4-6 microns; DV. Hygrophorus saxatilis 
Michael BeugCAP 1 1/2 to 3 inches broad, convex, evenly red-brown at first, then red-brown at the center and pinkish buff at the margin. ODOR strong and penetrating, aromatic. GILLS adnate, broad, distant. STEM about as long as the width of the cap, about 1/2 inch thick, pale yellowish or white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 10-14 x 5.5-7.5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus pacificus 
Michael BeugCAP 1 1/2 to 6 inches broad, convex, slimy, red-brown or cinnamon brown at the center, pallid or almost white at the margin. ODOR almond. GILLS short-decurrent. STEM 3 to 6 to 8 inches long, 1/2 to 1 inch thick, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4.5-6 microns; DV. REMARKS Other almond scented species include H. agathosmus, H. monticola, H. odoratus, H. variicolor, and H. vinicolor. H. variicolor is similar apart from having a slimy stem. If odor is of raw potatoes instead, and taste is bitter, see H. tennesseensis in Appendix. Hygrophorus bakerensis 
Michael BeugCAP 1 to 2 inches broad, convex then flat, translucent-lined at the margin; flesh thin, fragile, yellow. ODOR and TASTE not special. STEM 1 to 3 inches long, 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick, deep lemon yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 4-5 microns; PL. REMARKS Gills are adnexed, becoming emarginate, rather close, narrow near cap margin; whitish to yellowish, (Hesler & Smith). If gills are broadly adnate to subdecurrent, and cap and stem are only slightly viscid, consider H. ceraceus (see Appendix). Hygrophorus chlorophanus 
Ben WooCAP 1 to 3 inches broad, yellow, but sometimes varying to orange; flesh thin, fragile, yellow. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS narrowly attached, yellow. STEM 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, 3/8 to 5/8 inches thick, white at the base, orange in the middle, yellow at the top. MICRO-STRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-5 microns; PL. REMARKS H. subceraceus is somewhat similar, with smaller spores (see Appendix). Hygrophorus flavescens 
Michael BeugCAP 1 to 3 inches broad, convex to broadly umbonate, with persistently rounded margin, slimy, scarlet, reddish orange, or orange, fading to yellow, or often red or orange at center and yellow on margin; flesh thick, white to yellowish. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, white or yellow. STEM 2 to 4 or 6 inches long, lower part slimy, becoming stained dull orange as the slime dries, upper part dry, silky, white or pale tawny or tinged yellow or orange. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-10 x 4.5-6 microns; DV. Hygrophorus speciosus 
Michael BeugCAP 1 to 3 inches broad, convex, often becoming flat or with upturned margin, smooth or minutely fibrillose (but not scaly), orange or reddish cinnamon fading to buff, or buff from the first; flesh thick, soft. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent. STEM 3 to 4 inches long, up to 1 inch thick, smooth, same color as cap. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5.5-8 x 2.5-5 microns; IW. REMARKS According to Largent, H. pratensis is sometimes fairly fragrant, and can then be nearly identical with H. graveolens (see Appendix) which is identified by light pinkish cinnamon colors, hoary cap, and slightly larger spores (6-9 x 4-6 microns). Hygrophorus pratensis 
Michael BeugCAP 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches broad, cone-shaped, slimy, red, reddish orange, or yellow; flesh greenish yellow, very soft. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS narrowly attached to stem (not decurrent), pale orange then greenish yellow. STEM 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, less than 1/4 inch thick, smooth, slimy, hollow, pale orange-yellow then greenish yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-12 x 5-6 microns; PL. NOTES Note that the only difference between H. singeri and H. conicus is the slimy stem of H. singeri. Hygrophorus singeri 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 1/2 to 4 inches broad, cone-shaped, smooth, slightly viscid but soon dry and smooth, silky and then not appearing viscid, scarlet or orange or yellow, sometimes with greenish tinges, soon blackening; flesh thin, fragile, same color as the surface. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS very narrowly attached (nearly free), broad, thick, pale yellow-orange or yellow with an olive tinge. STEM 2 to 8 inches long, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, fragile, satiny-shining, longitudinally streaked, red, orange, yellow, or with a greenish tinge. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-12 x 5.5-6.5 microns; PL. NOTES Note that the only visible difference between H. conicus and H. singeri is the viscid stem of H. singeri. Hygrophorus conicus 
Norman EvansCAP 1 to 3 inches broad, deep blood red, fading to orange in streaks then entirely; flesh thin, fragile, red or orange. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS not decurrent, broad, thick, red fading to orange or yellow. STEM as long as, or twice as long as, the width of the cap, stout, satiny, longitudinally streaked, red, fading to orange or yellow. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-11 x 4-6 microns; PL. Hygrophorus puniceus 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 1 to 2 inches broad, smooth, scarlet; flesh fragile, red to orange. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate, broad, thick, red or orange-red or yellowish orange. STEM 2 to 3 inches long, stout, smooth, satiny red, soon yellow at the base. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10.5 x 4-5 microns; PL. REMARKS Stem base tends to yellow or orange in H. coccineus, white or sometimes yellow in H. puniceus, although orange base can be covered with white mycelium in moist conditions; H. puniceus also tends to be larger, more robust, and more common, and have a more distinctly striate stem. Hygrophorus coccineus 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 3/8 to 1 1/4 inch broad, convex then shallowly concave in the center, scarlet when wet, fading to orange then yellow upon losing moisture, but becoming red again when re-moistened; flesh thin, orange. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, pale dingy yellow, broad, distant. STEM 1 to 2 1/4 inches long, 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick, orange, satiny, with top and base paler. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-14 x 5-8 microns; PL. REMARKS H. turundus var. sphagnophilus has scales that darken slightly if at all, gills vary from red through orange and pale yellow to pallid and may remain adnate or become decurrent, stem is red or yellowish, and grows in Sphagnum; H. miniatus is differentiated from var. sphagnophilus by smaller spores; H. cantharellus (see Appendix) is found in a variety of habitats and has non-darkening scales and orange to yellow decurrent gills. Hygrophorus turundus 
Sara ClarkCAP 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches broad, convex, often becoming shallowly concave at center, bright scarlet when moist, fading to orange then yellow, regaining red color when moistened, appearing smooth when wet, but seen to be covered with tiny, chaffy scales when dry; flesh red, fading like the surface. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate to subdecurrent, red fading to orange or yellow. STEM 1 to 3 inches long, about 1/8 inch thick, smooth, red, fading like the cap. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 4-5 microns; PL. NOTES This and H. squamulosus are almost impossible to separate; the differences are too slight and subjective. REMARKS Hesler & Smith differentiate on the basis of occasional filamentous cheilocystidia in H. squamulosus and no cheilocystidia in H. miniatus. H. turundus var. sphagnophilus has larger spores than H. miniatus and generally grows on Sphagnum; H. cantharellus compared with H. miniatus has drier cap, longer stem (according to Smith and Hesler (2) 4-9 (12) cm versus 3-5 (7) cm), paler colors, deeply decurrent gills, and usually longer spores (see Appendix). Hygrophorus miniatus 
Michael BeugCAP 3/8 to 1 1/4 inch thick, convex, dull dark purple, fading to ashy gray at the center, and dingy buff on the margin. ODOR strong of green corn. GILLS decurrent, at first pale dull purplish, becoming dingy buff, narrow. STEM about as long as the width of the cap, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, smooth, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-7 x 4-5.5 microns; IW. REMARKS H. nordmanensis also has green color odor, but is violaceous brown and has longer spores. Hygrophorus rainierensis 
Ben WooCAP 2 to 6 inches broad, convex, entirely dull dark reddish purple at first, remaining so at the center, becoming pink at the margin; flesh white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, white, becoming shell pink, soon spotted and stained with red. STEM 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, 3/8 to 1 inch thick, pinkish spotted and streaked with reddish purple, usually entirely dark reddish purple at the base. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5.5-7 x 3-4.5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus purpurascens 
Michael BeugCAP 2 to 5 inches broad, convex, with inrolled finely cottony margin (but no veil!) at first, orange-pink, coral pink, or deep wine color, or purplish red at center and pink on the margin; flesh thick, white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate, becoming decurrent, white, soon flushed with pink, then spotted with purplish red, or becoming entirely dingy purplish red. STEM about as long as width of cap, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch thick, white then streaked or stained pink, finally same color as the cap, often staining yellow where bruised. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 3-4.5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus russula 
Ben WooCAP 1 to 3 inches broad, convex, purplish red from the first, often with darker spots at the center; flesh white to reddish. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate then decurrent, at first pallid, becoming pinkish then reddish purple, well spaced. STEM 2-5 inches long, 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, white, becoming reddish purple like the cap, but the top becoming paler. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6.5-8 x 4.5-5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus capreolarius 
Michael BeugCAP 1 to 4 inches broad, convex, dark purplish red to brownish purple at the center, pallid to flesh pink at the margin, frequently streaked and spotted with darker fibrils; flesh thick, white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate then decurrent, pale pink or pinkish cream, soon spotted and stained with red. STEM short and stout, rather rough-fibrous, white at the top, elsewhere brownish wine red, often staining yellow where bruised. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-11 x 5-6 microns; DV. Hygrophorus erubescens 
Michael BeugCAP 1 to 3 inches broad, convex or slightly umbonate, dark umber to dark olive brown or blackish brown at the center, elsewhere paler brown, ocher, or greenish yellow, often becoming brighter yellow or orange or even red on the margin when older; flesh yellow under the surface, elsewhere white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent, white at first, becoming yellow, then the same color as the margin of the cap. STEM 1 to 2 times as long as the width of the cap, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, silky and yellow at the top, elsewhere glutinous and brown, yellow, olive yellow, orange, or scarlet. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-5 microns; DV. REMARKS if stem is not glutinous at all, consider H. siccipes (see Appendix). Hygrophorus hypothejus 
Michael BeugCAP 3/4 to 2 inches broad, convex, ash gray, with darker brownish gray center, often covered with darker gray dots or granules; flesh soft, white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate or slightly decurrent, white. STEM 2 to 4 inches long, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, pallid to pale gray. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-5 microns; DV. NOTES This species is often mistaken for H. agathosmus - subgroup B of this section - but differs in its lack of almond odor, and its slimy stem. REMARKS Hesler & Smith give stem as 0.5 to 0.8 cm thick. Hygrophorus pustulatus 
Ben WooCAP 1 1/2 to 5 inches broad, convex or flat or slightly concave at the center, slimy, black or very dark smoky olive at the center conspicuously streaked toward the margin with olive gray to black fibrils; flesh thick, white. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate to slightly decurrent, white, occasionally tinged with gray. STEM 3 to 5 inches long, 3/8 to 1 1/4 inches thick, smoky olive to blackish below, white and silky at the top. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-12 x 5-6 microns; DV. REMARKS Largent comments that Hygrophorus persoonii Arnolds has previously been identified as Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus var. olivaceoalbus in the past (Arnolds established a neotype of Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus having mean spore length 11.5 microns or more, and width 7.4-8.6 microns). Harmaja as quoted by Kernaghan & Currah stated in 1985 that H. olivaceoalbus (Fr.) Fr. sensu Hesler & Smith does not fit the European concept of H. olivaceoalbus, but does fit the description of Hygrophorus korhonenii Harmaja. Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus 
Ben WooCAP 2 to 5 inches broad, convex or shallowly umbonate, uniformly dark umber or dark smoky olive brown; flesh white, thick. ODOR faintly fragrant. TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, narrow. STEM as long as the width of the cap, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, same color as the cap or somewhat paler. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5.5-8 x 4-5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus calophyllus 
Ben WooCAP 1 1/2 to 5 inches broad, convex, slimy, ash gray or pale gray-brown; flesh soft, white. ODOR almond. TASTE mild. GILLS adnate, sometimes becoming slightly decurrent, white, becoming tinged grayish in age. STEM as long as the width of the cap or half again as long, up to an inch thick in large specimens, white, often tinged with gray in age. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 8-10.5 x 4.5-5.5 microns; DV. NOTES see the note under H. pustulatus, subgroup A, this section. REMARKS Other almond scented species include H. bakerensis, H. monticola, H. odoratus, H. variicolor, and H. vinicolor. Hygrophorus agathosmus 
Michael BeugCAP 1/2 to 2 inches broad, convex or shallowly umbonate, marked on the margin with translucent lines when wet; flesh brown. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS decurrent. STEM 1 1/4 to 3 inches long, about 1/4 inch thick, white. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6-8 x 4.5-6 microns; IW. Hygrophorus colemannianus 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 2 to 5 or 6 inches broad, convex, slightly viscid but soon becoming dry; flesh pallid. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate, broad, thick. STEM as long as the width of the cap, 1/2 to 1 inch thick, surface dull. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-8.5 x 4.5-5 microns; DV. Hygrophorus marzuolus 
Ben WooCAP 2 to 6 inches broad, convex, slightly viscid but soon becoming dry, dark smoky olive brown or blackish olive, often with darker and lighter streaks; flesh thick, white. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS adnate to decurrent, may be tinged gray in age. STEM about as long as cap width, up to 1 inch thick, same color as cap or paler. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9 x 4-5 microns; DV. REMARKS If stem 1/3 to 2/5 of an inch wide instead of 2/5 to 4/5 of an inch, and cap and lower stem are gray, consider H. fuscoalboides (see Appendix). Hygrophorus camarophyllus 
Andrew ParkerCAP 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches broad, cone-shaped, bell-shaped, or convex, slimy, at first grass green or more bluish green, soon fading to buff, tawny, flesh color, yellow, ochre, or olive-orange, usually becoming pinkish cream color when dried; flesh thin, same color as the surface of the cap. ODOR and TASTE not special. GILLS adnate, green, soon becoming yellow to orange yellow, but sometimes retaining a trace of the green color where they fasten to the flesh of the cap. STEM twice as long as the width of the cap or longer, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, often hollow, green becoming yellow or orange, finally pinkish cream. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 6.5-9 x 4-5 microns; PL. Hygrophorus psittacinus 
Sara ClarkCAP 1-3 cm, dry, broadly convex to uplifted, at first with conic umbo, white or with tinge of pale tan or yellowish, striate; flesh fragile, whitish. ODOR cedar (arborvitae). TASTE medicinal or almost like cedar. GILLS decurrent, distant, broad, white, interveined. STEM 3-6 x 0.5-0.8 cm, dry, narrowing downward or more or less equal, white, may be twisted or curved. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-10 x 4.5-6 microns; IW. REMARKS cedarlike odor is main distinctive feature: at times so faint as to be almost indistinct, but in these specimens medicinal taste can be used to identify species. Hygrophorus russocoriaceus 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 2.5-6 cm, slightly viscid soon dry, convex-depressed, white becoming apricot-orange; flesh soft, white. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, white becoming tinged apricot, when dried pallid to ochraceous buff. STEM 5-9 x 0.4-1.2 cm, dry, white drying pallid to grayish, twisted fibrillose-striate, top silky to slightly pruinose. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-9.5 x 4-4.5 microns; DV. REMARKS H. saxatilis and H. melizeus forma minor are similar but differ in gill color: both have yellow gills at first. Hygrophorus ellenae 
Michael BeugCAP 2-5 cm, slimy-viscid, obtuse to broadly convex, at times slightly depressed, rosy-pink fading to cream and drying grayish pinkish-buff; flesh thin, pallid to cream. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS broadly adnate, subdistant to distant, pallid to cream drying grayish pinkish-buff. STEM 3-6 x 0.3-0.8 cm, dry, cream drying grayish pinkish-buff, silky smooth top, hairy base. HABITAT in mountainous areas, often near snowbanks. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 12-15 x 7-9 microns; DV. REMARKS Other snowbank species include according to Largent H. albicarneus with white to pinkish cap, decurrent gills, inamyloid spores 11-16 x 8-12 microns, and parallel gill trama, H. subalpinus with fleshy fruiting body, white cap and stem, decurrent gills, fibrillose partial veil, inamyloid spores 8-10 x 4.6-6.1 microns, and divergent gill trama, H. vernalis with vinaceous viscid cap, decurrent sordid whitish gills, inamyloid spores 11-15 x 8-10.2 microns, and divergent gill trama, and Neohygrophorus angelesianus with scalloped-pleated cap margin, purplish drab adnate to decurrent gills, amyloid spores 7-10 x 4.6-6.6 microns, and interwoven gill trama. Hygrophorus goetzii 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 4-12 cm, viscid or glutinous, convex becoming depressed, whitish soon becoming dull yellowish brown over disc with whitish to pale orange-yellow margin, cap skin separable to disc, margin may be striate and floccose-fibrillose; flesh firm, white. ODOR distinct when young and fresh of raw potatoes. TASTE bitter. GILLS adnate becoming short-decurrent, venose at cap; white. STEM 6-10 x 0.8-1.8 cm, dry, narrowing downwards or nearly equal, solid, whitish or dingy; fibrillose-striate, upper part with tiny cottony scales. MICROSTRUCTURES spores (6)7-9 x 4.5-6 microns; DV. REMARKS This species is listed by Hesler & Smith for California and other states, but not the Pacific Northwest; however, Michael Beug has a photograph of a fruitbody from the Pacific Northwest identified by Daniel Stuntz as this species: it is distinctive by the combination of color pattern, potato odor, and bitter taste. Hygrophorus tennesseensis 
Michael BeugCAP 2-7 cm, viscid or slimy, conical at first and usually retaining pointed umbo, bright yellow to orange, the orange usually toward the center; flesh yellow. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS adnexed to free, yellow. STEM 5-8 x 0.3-0.6 cm, moist or lubricous but not truly viscid, yellow to yellow orange, base may blacken. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 9-15 x 5-9 microns; PL. REMARKS H. conicus blackens all over, has white or yellow-tinged gills, and cap may be red. H. cuspidatus fruits May through August, and is red initially fading to orange or yellow; red color generally returns with drying. Hygrophorus acutoconicus 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 1-3 cm, moist, at times subviscid, broadly obtuse to convex, sometimes with a depressed disc, hygrophanous, amber or apricot yellow or orange, sometimes fading to paler yellow, striate; flesh thin, same color as cap. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, interveined, whitish or pale yellowish to "wax yellow". STEM 3-6 x 0.2-0.3 cm, dry or moist, not viscid, lemon to amber yellow, often tinged red or orangy pink or rufous on the lower half. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-7.7 x 3.5-5 microns; PL. REMARKS the stem is often more highly colored (pinkish red) than the cap. Hygrophorus parvulus 
Buck McAdooCAP 1-3 cm viscid, convex, may have broad umbo, hygrophanous, yellow, may be striate; flesh thin, yellow. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS short-decurrent to adnate, fairly broad, pale yellow. STEM 2-4 x 0.2-0.4 cm, dry, colored as cap or paler, base may be orange. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 5-7.5 x 2.5-3.5 microns; PL. Hygrophorus subceraceus 
Buck McAdooCAP 1-3.5 cm, dry, convex, disc often becoming depressed; scarlet becoming vermilion, when old ocher or yellowish; flesh colored as cap, thin. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS deeply decurrent, often triangular; orange to yellow (usually paler than cap). STEM 4-9(12) x 0.15-0.4 cm, dry, colored as cap or paler, base whitish or pallid yellowish. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-13 x 4-8 microns. PL. REMARKS H. miniatus has drier cap, longer stem, paler colors, arcuate-decurrent gills, and usually longer spores; H. turundus var. sphagnophilus usually found on Sphagnum, may have slightly darkening scales, and may have red or adnate gills. Hygrophorus cantharellus 
Boleslaw KuznikCAP 1-4 cm, convex, hygrophanous, moist, cinnamon brown to brown on disc and paler between striations, fading to gray brown, may be slightly scaly in age, may appear granular; flesh brittle, firm, cinnamon brown to brown. ODOR unpleasant, of mothballs, naphthalene flakes or chloride of lime. TASTE mild. GILLS decurrent, distant, light gray to darker gray brown. STEM 2-4 x 0.2-0.3 cm, narrowing downward, cinnamon brown to brown, may be darker lower stem, bald, dots or small scales at first, may appear hoary over base. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 4.5-6 x 4.5-5 microns; IW. REMARKS The mothball odor makes this easy to identify. Hygrophorus foetens 
Sharon GodkinCAP 3-6 cm, dry, convex to broadly umbonate, dark grayish brown from dark grayish brown fibrils over pallid background, innately fibrillose to fibrillose-squamulose, fringed with marginal remnants of fibrillose veil.; flesh, soft, whitish. ODOR and TASTE mild. GILLS short-decurrent to adnate, broad, whitish tinted gray to grayish buff. STEM 3-6 x 0.5-1.2 cm, dry, solid, white and bald to appressed-silky near top, streaked with dark gray-brown fibrils below ring zone. MICRO-STRUCTURES spores 9-14 x (5)6-8 microns; DV. REMARKS like Inocybe or Tricholoma terreum group in general appearance; like H. pustulatus but has fibrillose veil and larger spores. Hygrophorus inocybiformis 
Ben WooCAP 2-5 cm, viscid but soon dry, convex, may become slightly depressed; buff to brownish and flushed vinaceous, in age with salmon to wine-colored tones extending to margin; fibrillose-streaked in age; flesh thick, firm, white. ODOR of cherry pits or bitter almonds. GILLS decurrent, distant, broad, whitish but in age becoming flushed with cap color but paler; interveined. STEM 3-6 x 0.3-2.5 cm, dry, equal or narrowing downward, white at first, may be flushed with color of cap in age, not darkening to more than pale salmon-buff around wormholes. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 10-14 x 5.5-7.5 microns; DV. REMARKS H. vinicolor has gills colored when young and powder on stem which becomes pink. Hygrophorus monticola 
Andrew ParkerCAP about 2 cm, viscid, convex expanding, "benzo brown" (violaceous brown), bald, with striate margin; flesh medium thin. ODOR of green corn. GILLS decurrent, distant, pale drab, becoming dingy buff with age. STEM about 2 cm long, dry, pallid. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-11 x 4.5-5.5 microns; IW. REMARKS Spores of H. rainierensis (which also has green corn odor) and H. subviolaceus are shorter. Hygrophorus nordmanensis 
Michael BeugCAP 1-2.5 cm, lubricous to subviscid when wet, obtuse to convex at first, in age flat, sometimes with a recurved margin, sometimes with a depressed disc, with or without a papilla; dark or pale olive brown, margin paler in age; surface may crack circumferentially, disc make be finely wrinkled, at times margin faintly striate or wavy or pleated; flesh thin, dark olive-brown. ODOR and TASTE not distinctive. GILLS decurrent, distant to subdistant, broad, grayish white. STEM 2-4 x 0.3-0.6 cm, moist, whitish to cap colored, occasionally longitudinally striate; flesh of stem grayish. MICROSTRUCTURES spores 7-12 x 4-6 microns; IW. REMARKS H. acutus is acutely conical; H. atro-olivaceus has a finely scaly cap which is dark at least at center. Hygrophorus recurvatus 
Buck McAdoo