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Hygrocybe cinnabar red is a lamellar, small-sized fruiting body of the genus Hygrocybe, in which there are both conditionally edible and poisonous representatives. In mycology, the species is called: Hygrocybe miniata or strangulate Hygrophorus, or Agaricus, miniatus, Hygrophorus strangulates.
The name of the genus can be translated as a wet head, which partly indicates both the favorite places of growth and the ability to accumulate liquid in the pulp.
What does cinnabar red hygrocybe look like?
Mushrooms are quite small.
- cap diameter up to 2 cm, sometimes larger;
- the leg is low – up to 5 cm;
- the thickness of the leg is not more than 2-4 mm.
The cap of the cinnabar-red mushroom is first bell-shaped, then straightens out, the central tubercle becomes smoothed or some depression forms instead of it. The rim of the cap is ribbed and may crack. Small mushrooms are noticeable by the bright color of the fruiting body – cinnabar red or orange. Young caps covered with small scales, then matte skin becomes completely smooth, intense red hue, with a slight coating. With any change in color, from yellowish to reddish, the edges are always lighter. Also, the skin brightens in old fruiting bodies.
The waxy flesh is thin, brittle, and may become dry as it matures. The bottom of the cap is covered with sparse, widely spaced plates that descend slightly to the stem. Their color also brightens over time from red to yellowish. The mass of spores is white.
A thin, fragile stem tapers to a yellowish base. Sometimes it bends, as it grows it becomes hollow inside. The color of the silky surface is identical to the skin of the cap.
The color of the cinnabar-red species can vary from the quality of the substrate to orange, sometimes the cap border is framed by a yellow rim
Where does cinnabar red hygrocybe grow?
Small bright mushrooms are found in wet, sometimes in dry places:
- in the grass in the meadows;
- in mixed forests on edges and clearings;
- in swampy areas in mosses.
Hygrocybe cinnabar-red prefers acidic soils, is a saprotroph on humus. The fungus is distributed almost all over the world in the temperate climate zone. In Our Country, they are also met throughout the country from June to November.
The cinnabar-red species is similar to other inedible members of the genus with a reddish or orange color:
- marsh hygrocybe (Hygrocybe helobia);
The species differs from cinnabar red in white-yellowish plates and is found only in swampy areas.
- oak hygrocybe (Hygrocybe quieta);
The mushroom picker settles near oaks
- hygrocybe waxy (Hygrocybe ceracea).
Mushrooms have an orange-yellow color
Is it possible to eat hygrocybe cinnabar red
It is believed that there are no toxins in the fruiting bodies of the species. But the mushroom is inedible, and many sources claim that it is not worth taking. There is no smell from the fruiting bodies of hygrocybe cinnabar red.
Conclusion
Hygrocybe cinnabar red is common in different countries. Mushroom pickers are mostly afraid to take a deliberately unfamiliar species. Therefore, in the scientific literature there are no described cases of the negative effects of its substances on the human body.
