Following the interesting post of
Hygrocybe psittacina found growing in a cave, I was just glancing at the
Hygrocybe species in the A-Z list to see which species we had listed...
... and what a sorry mess we have.
This is not surprising given that Waxcaps, in spite of their distinctive appearance, are actually quite difficult to narrow down to species.
A few comments on the photos in the list:
Hygrocybe chlorophana - doesn't look typical. Looks more like a faded Parrot Waxcap with hints of green colour.
Hygrocybe citrina - is not a recognised name in Britain.
Hygrocybe coccinea - the photo does not show this species.
Hygrocybe flavescens - is not a recognised name in Britain.
Hygrocybe pratensis - the photo is not representative of the characters of this species.
Hygrocybe punicea - the photo does not show this species. It looks like
Hygrocybe conica Hygrocybe strangulata - is not a recognised name in Britain.
Not a very impressive hit rate.
When I have time I'll try to post some correctly named Waxcaps in the
Gallery, although they will be reference shots rather than aesthetic ones. There are some correctly named photos in the
Gallery, some of which are attractive in-situ shots.
If someone (Cybershot perhaps?) has time to tackle the Waxcaps in the A-Z list this would save me ranting again at some future point!
Ken