A firm, pale pinkish-orange to pinkish-tan woodwax that grows with spruce and other conifers. The stem apex bears tiny white tufts that turn reddish brown on drying, and KOH turns the cap and stem golden orange. The identity of North American collections with European H. pudorinus is not settled.
Reported as edible after cooking (Wikipedia), but the flavor can be turpentine-like, and its variable appearance makes misidentification likely. Young specimens can be mistaken for Tricholoma species, some of which are toxic; Tricholomas have notched, non-waxy gills.
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Habitat
Ectomycorrhizal with spruce, fir and other conifers, often in boggy areas with sphagnum; in groups or fairy rings in late summer and fall.
Distribution
Western North America from Colorado to the West Coast, and central and north-eastern North America from about the Great Lakes northward; particularly common in Canada and the Rocky Mountains. Described from Europe.
Characteristics
Cap: 3-10 cm, convex to broadly bell-shaped; sticky then shiny; pale pinkish orange to pinkish tan; margin inrolled and cottony at first. Gills: broadly attached to decurrent, close to nearly distant, white, aging yellowish to pinkish. Stem: 3-8 cm long, up to 3 cm thick, dry, whitish, with tiny white fibrillose tufts at the apex that dry reddish brown; base often buried, sometimes yellowish. Flesh: firm, white, faintly pink to orange in the stem base. Odor: often soapy and fragrant, sometimes indistinct; taste mild, sometimes reported as turpentine-like. Chemical reaction: KOH golden orange on cap and stem. Spore print: white. Spores: 7-10 x 4-5.5 um, ellipsoid, smooth, inamyloid (MushroomExpert).
