BASIDIOMYCETES: Agaricales, Hygrophoraceae

Parrot Waxy Cap, Hygrophorus psittacinus or Hygrocybe psittacinus

Basidiomycetes, order: Agaricales, family: Hygrophoraceae

Height to 3½"

Cap is up to 2" wide, dome-shaped to convex or flattened. The color resembles that of a parrot: bright green turning yellow-brown to darker brown with age. Margin is thin and pale with striations. Stalk is yellow-green, becoming yellow or brown. Gills are attached, waxy, and a green that fades in color like the cap. Spore print is white. Parrot Waxy Caps are found on the ground in mixed woodlands and pastures throughout North America during the summer and fall or during the winter in California. The mushroom is edible but not great. Also known as the Parrot Mushroom.