Herald of winter - Hygrophorus hypothejus
- The Foraging Course Company
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Edible mushroom - intermediate Season - autumn to winter Common names Herald of winter, winter wax cap, late fall wax cap
Scientific name meaning: Originating from the Greek Hygros, meaning moist or wet, and phoreus, meaning a bearer. And, Hypo, meaning below, and Theion, meaning brimstone (yellow below).
Habitat  Mycorrhizal with pine (Pinus spp) and rarely broad leaf trees. |
Overall structure and growth  Herald of winter can appear as solitary mushrooms or in small groups or troops. It emerges from the ground underneath pines. It has a glutinous universal veil and fragile partial veil when first emerging. |
Cap  The brown cap starts off convex or bell-shaped. When mature, the 3 to 5cm wide cap can be flat, slightly depressed or even funnel-like, and can have a small central umbo (bump). The cap margin is slightly in rolled and can retain veil fragments when young. When wet, the cap is slimy, but greasy or sticky when dry. |
Gills and spores  Starting off white, then turning pale yellow and pale yellow-brown with age, the gills are distant. They are broadly adnate to decurrent. The spores are white. |
Stem  The sometimes curved stem is 3 to 7cm long and 0.5 to 1.5cm wide. It is white to pale yellow and sometimes tinted with orange, and often more deeply coloured at the apex. The apex area is also fibrous and the stem narrows here. There is sometimes a ring zone visible when young. Like the cap, it can be greasy or slimy. |
Flesh, taste and smell  The flesh is white to pale yellow, especially towards the outer edges. The smell and taste are not distinctive. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused for the date waxcap (Hygrocybe spadicea). However, this is a grassland mushroom. Although not poisonous, it is a Red Data List species and should not be collected for consumption. Also, the slimy spike (Gomphidius glutinosus), pictured, but this has off white gills and a grey/black ring zone and also edible. |
Edible parts Must be thoroughly cooked Hazards Slime on mushrooms is often associated with gastric upset, so removal of the slime before preparing for eating is recommended
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species None known
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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