A fairly rare woodland Woodwax found mainly at the beginning of Winter or with the first frosts. Although edible this mushroom is uncommon and reportedly not of the best taste so we leave this one for photos and admiration. Hygrophorus translates as water bearer as it is a very wet mushroom, hypothejus as beneath, fire and brimstone, referring to the sulphur yellow gills and stem.
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Herald of Winter
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Herald of Winter
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names |
Herald of Winter, Cap Cwyr Tegyll Melyn (CY), Wodnicha Późna (PL), Fagyálló Csigagomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name |
Hygrophorus hypothejus |
| Synonyms |
Limacium hypothejum, Limacium aureum, Hygrophorus aureus |
| Season Start |
Sep |
| Season End |
Dec |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) |
5-7 |
| Average Cap width (CM) |
3-7 |
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
3-7 cm. Grey brown to olive brown, darker in the centre sometimes with yellow flushes. Starting convex with in-rolled edges becoming flatter and eventually, shallowly funnel shaped. Slimy to the touch.
Stem
5-7 cm long, 0.5-1.5 wide. Pale yellow becoming more intensely coloured after frosts. Can bruise orange where touched. Has a faint, ring zone.
Possible Confusion
Could be confused with the Date Waxcap (Hygrocybe spadicea) but this grows on grassland, not in woods.
Spore Print
White. Ellipsoid, smooth.
Frequency
Occasional but widespread in the UK
Other Facts
In March 2025 the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) added 1000 fungal species to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN (Global) Conservation Status of Herald of Winter (Hygrophorus hypothejus) is: LC – Least Concern, with stable population. For more information, see on the following link.
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