A brightly colored woodwax with an orange-red cap that fades to yellow and a white stem coated in slime that develops orange tones as it dries. It grows mainly with larches and, in the West, with ponderosa pine. The bright cap and slimy stem separate it from other red waxy caps.
Edible (Wikipedia), though Hygrophorus species are generally bland. No dangerous look-alikes are commonly cited; similar species include H. hypothejus and H. pyrophilus.
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Habitat
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Ectomycorrhizal with conifers, especially larches, and ponderosa pine in western North America; scattered to gregarious in late summer and fall.
Distribution
Apparently widespread in North America under larch across the continent and under ponderosa pine in the West (MushroomExpert); herbarium records from British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Characteristics
Cap: 2-5 cm, convex becoming nearly flat; sticky; orange-red to reddish orange, fading to bright yellow; margin inrolled at first. Gills: broadly attached to slightly decurrent, nearly distant, creamy or yellowish. Stem: 3-6 cm long, 0.5-2 cm thick, white to whitish, covered with a gluey layer to just below the apex, becoming orange from the base upward as it dries. Flesh: whitish to yellowish, unchanging. Odor and taste: not distinctive. Chemical reaction: KOH negative on the cap. Spore print: white. Spores: 8-11 x 4.5-5.5 um, ellipsoid, smooth, inamyloid (MushroomExpert).
