A fairly common Waxcap of nutrient poor grassland, although this habitat is becoming less common in the UK.
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Yellow Foot Waxcap
(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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Yellow Foot Waxcap
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Yellow Foot Waxcap (EN), Cap Cwyr Troed Melyn (CY), Sárgatövű Nyirokgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Hygrocybe / Cuphophyllus flavipes |
| Synonyms | Hygrocybe flavipes, Camarophyllus flavipes, Hygrophorus flavipes |
| Season Start | Sep |
| Season End | Dec |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 2-6 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 2-4 |
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
2-4 cm. Convex to flattening out usually with a broad umbo. Of varying colours from date purple to grey to brown to light tan when dry. Slightly slimy or greasy when wet.
Gills
Has fairly thick, widely spaced gills with visible lateral veins running between them. The gills run down the stem (decurrent).
Stem
2-5 cm long, 0.4-1 cm diameter. White to off white with a yellow base, the stem tapers towards the base.
Flesh
Thick and off white with the yellow coming through towards the base.
Habitat
Nutrient poor and acid rich grasslands, like moors.
Possible Confusion
Slimy Waxcap (Gliophorus irrigatus), pictured, is similar but much more slimy and has a more even grey cap colour.
Frequency
Fairly common in the right habitat.
Spores
White. Subglobose to ellipsoid.
Other Facts
The Yellow Foot Waxcap is not a choice edible and as with most Waxcaps, we leave them alone as their habitats are decreasing.
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 Yellow Foot Waxcap (Cuphophyllus flavipes) is: VU – Vulnerable, with decreasing population. For more information, see on the following link.
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