– Cap convex to expanded, often with an umbo, soot-brown to grey-black with dark radial streaks.
– Gills decurrent, distant, waxy, white when young, becoming whitish-grey with age.
– Stem grey-brown from embedded fibrils. When scraped near the base, it often has a sweet, honey-like smell.
– Flesh white, brittle, with a mild taste and pleasant smell.
Woodwaxes
Arched Woodwax
Hygrophorus camarophyllus
NT
Near threatened
Edible
5 images
Characteristics
Ecology
Grows with spruce and pine, often in older coniferous forests with long tree continuity.
Notes
Has a modest but good, slightly sweet taste that works well in all kinds of mushroom dishes.
Similar species
The pale, distant, decurrent and waxy gills, contrasting beautifully with the dark cap, are good field characters. There are a few rare similar species in the genus, such as Streaked Woodwax and Pink-gilled Woodwax, but none of these are poisonous.
