How to tell Scarlet waxcap from Blackening waxcap
How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison
Warning: Blackening waxcap(Hygrocybe conica)
POISONOUS
Eating it causes poisoning. Do not pick it unless you have identified it with certainty.
This mushroom has a controversial reputation. Older European sources called it edible, but modern research (especially from Asia) has documented serious poisonings, sometimes fatal. The exact toxin has not been identified. Symptoms described in the literature: nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain a few hours after eating; in severe cases — rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle fibers) and kidney failure. Because of this data, the current consensus among mycologists is to treat the mushroom as poisonous and not pick it. In any case it has no culinary value. If you suspect poisoning — see a doctor immediately and keep any leftover mushrooms for identification.
If you suspect poisoning, call an ambulance immediately: 112 (the European emergency number) or your local emergency number
The short answer
Scarlet waxcap and Blackening waxcap look alike, so they're easy to mix up — but Scarlet waxcap is inedible, while Blackening waxcap is poisonous. The main visible difference: cap color: Scarlet waxcap — red, orange, Blackening waxcap — orange, red, yellow, black. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: cap shape, flesh color change. If you have even the slightest doubt, leave the mushroom be.
Scarlet waxcap
Hygrocybe coccinea
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Blackening waxcap
Hygrocybe conica
📊 Comparing characteristics
⚠ Highlighted rows are the key differences between the edible and the dangerous mushroom
| Characteristic | Scarlet waxcap | Blackening waxcap |
|---|---|---|
| ⚠ Edibility class | Scarlet waxcap Inedible | Blackening waxcap Poisonous |
| Season | Scarlet waxcap SummerAutumn | Blackening waxcap SummerAutumn |
| Use | Scarlet waxcap Not eaten | Blackening waxcap Not eaten |
| Size | Scarlet waxcap Small (up to 5 cm) | Blackening waxcap Small (up to 5 cm) |
| ⚠ Cap color | Scarlet waxcap RedOrange | Blackening waxcap OrangeRedYellowBlack |
| ⚠ Cap shape | Scarlet waxcap Convex | Blackening waxcap Conical |
| Cap surface | Scarlet waxcap Slimy | Blackening waxcap Slimy |
| Taste | Scarlet waxcap Mild | Blackening waxcap Mild |
| Smell | Scarlet waxcap Odorless | Blackening waxcap Odorless |
| ⚠ Flesh color change | Scarlet waxcap No change | Blackening waxcap Darkens |
| Hymenophore | Scarlet waxcap Gilled | Blackening waxcap Gilled |
| Stem | Scarlet waxcap Central | Blackening waxcap Central |
| Ring (veil) | Scarlet waxcap No ring | Blackening waxcap No ring |
| Volva | Scarlet waxcap No volva | Blackening waxcap No volva |
| Substrate | Scarlet waxcap SoilMoss | Blackening waxcap SoilMoss |
| Nutrition type | Scarlet waxcap Saprotroph | Blackening waxcap Saprotroph |
📅 Seasonality
Scarlet waxcap
Fruiting season
July – October
Blackening waxcap
Fruiting season
June – October
🔬 Morphology
Cap
Scarlet waxcap
Cap 2-5 cm, at first hemispherical to conical, then convex-flattened with a low umbo. Color bright red, coral, cinnabar red — this is the key feature. With age the margin may turn yellow or orange. Surface moist, waxy, slightly slimy in wet weather.
Blackening waxcap
Cap 2-7 cm, at first cone-shaped or sharply pointed, with age becoming conical-flattened with a sharp umbo. Color bright orange, red-orange, sometimes with yellow tones. Surface moist, waxy, slimy in wet weather. Key feature: when damaged it turns black.
Hymenophore
Scarlet waxcap
Gills. The gills are widely spaced, thick, waxy, attached or slightly decurrent. Color red, coral to yellowish red. Spore print white.
Blackening waxcap
Gills. The gills are widely spaced, waxy and free. At first yellowish to orange in color, when damaged they turn black. In old mushrooms they are completely black. Spore print white.
Stem
Scarlet waxcap
Stem 3-7 cm tall, 0.3-0.8 cm thick, slender, cylindrical, hollow inside. Color red to orange-red, paler and yellowish toward the base. Surface dry, smooth. No ring.
Blackening waxcap
Stem 4-10 cm tall, 0.4-1 cm thick, slender, cylindrical, hollow inside, sometimes twisted. Orange-yellow to reddish, with lengthwise fibers. With damage and age it turns black completely. No ring.
Flesh
Scarlet waxcap
Flesh thin, brittle, reddish to yellowish. Doesn't change color when cut. No culinary value.
Blackening waxcap
Flesh thin, brittle, yellowish. When cut and when touched it turns black — this is the key diagnostic feature of the group (subgenus Pseudohygrocybe).
Smell
Scarlet waxcap
No distinctive smell, or faintly mushroomy. Mild taste, nothing special.
Blackening waxcap
No distinctive smell, or faintly mushroomy. Mild taste, but tasting it is not a good idea.
📍 Habitats
Scarlet waxcap
Blackening waxcap
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Scarlet waxcap and Blackening waxcap be mixed up?
How to tell Scarlet waxcap from Blackening waxcap?
Which is more dangerous — Scarlet waxcap or Blackening waxcap?
Is Blackening waxcap edible?
When do Scarlet waxcap and Blackening waxcap grow?
Sources
- [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [3]MycoBank Database
- [4]Index Fungorum
- [5]GBIF
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine