Vermilion waxcap or Crimson waxcap

The cap is 1-3 cm, hemispherical at first, then convex and spreading, sometimes with a small bump. It's bright red or cinnabar red and may turn orange with age. The surface is matte, finely scaly or granular-rough, which is characteristic of the species. In wet weather it's slightly damp, but not slimy.

The cap is 3 to 10 cm across, occasionally 15 cm. It's bell-shaped or conically domed at first, then convex or broadly umbonate and finally flattened, with an irregular edge that becomes wavy in old caps.

It's a dark blood red, often with a narrow yellowish rim. The surface is smooth and greasy or slimy when wet; young caps sometimes have a whitish bloom. As it ages, the cap fades in patches, usually from the centre, to yellowish buff.

The gills are distant, thick and waxy, attached or slightly decurrent, orange-yellow to reddish. The spore print is white.

The gills are thick, waxy and fairly widely spaced, narrowly attached or almost free, and often cross-veined near the cap. They're yellow, orange or reddish.

The spore print is white.

The stem is 2-5 cm tall and 0.2-0.4 cm thick, slender, cylindrical and hollow. It's orange-red or orange-yellow, paler toward the base, with a dry, smooth surface and no ring.

The stem is 5 to 12 cm tall and 1 to 2 cm thick, stout, dry, coarsely fibrous and streaked lengthways. It's yellow flushed red at the top, orange lower down and white at the base. There's no ring.

The fibrous, streaky stem is the best way to tell it from the scarlet waxcap, whose stem is smooth.

The flesh is thin, brittle and orangey and doesn't change colour when cut. It has no culinary value.

The flesh is waxy and fairly firm, and doesn't change colour or blacken when cut.

No distinct smell. Mild taste, nothing special.

The smell is indistinct.