Blackening Waxcap - Hygrocybe conica

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Alternative names
Hygrocybe nigrescens
Description

Small (5cm) and conical, starting off orange, yellow or red but soon turning black with age.

Similar Species

Hygrocybe acutoconica, occasionally recorded in VC55, also has a conical cap and is yellow or orange (sometimes red in the form konradii) but does not blacken as it ages or is handled. 

Identification difficulty
Habitat

This is a grassland fungus often found in short turf, including lawns.

When to see it

It can be found from late summer into autumn, particularly after rain.

UK Status

Fairly common and widespread in Britain

VC55 Status

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

  • Lostash
    St Bernards Abbey
    19 September 2015
  • JulietBailey
    Houghton on the Hill garden
    10 October 2023
  • David Nicholls
    Bardon Hill
    15 October 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Bardon Hill
    15 October 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Charnwood Lodge NR
    02 October 2005
  • AJ Cann
    Melton Country park
    01 August 2015
  • AJ Cann
    Melton Country park
    01 August 2015
    Note blue discolouration.
  • David Nicholls
    Bagworth Heath Woods
    09 October 2019
  • sue
    Twycross churchyard
    21 October 2024

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Conical Waxcap, Blackening Waxcap
Species group:
Fungi
Kingdom:
Fungi
Order:
Agaricales
Family:
Hygrophoraceae
Records on NatureSpot:
45
First record:
02/10/2005 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
03/11/2024 (Markham, Marian)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • David Nicholls
    Bardon Hill
    15 October 2016
  • Lostash
    St Bernards Abbey
    19 September 2015
  • AJ Cann
    Melton Country park
    01 August 2015
  • Alan Semper
    Bradgate Park
    08 October 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote garden1
    07 September 2008
  • Alan Semper
    Bradgate Park
    08 October 2015