Welcome to Mushroom World
Step into the fascinating world of mushrooms with Mushroom World – your go-to resource for fungi information. Our site offers clear information and beautiful images of mushrooms.
If you're curious about what fungi actually are and how they differ from plants and animals, be sure to visit our what are fungi? page for an easy-to-understand explanation.
Since there are thousands of known species of mushrooms, we have limited our database to the most common ones. New species are also continuously added to the site.
Come and explore the wonders of mushrooms with us. We hope you find our site informative, inspiring, and a valuable resource on your journey of mushroom discovery.
What you can do on Mushroom World
Browse the database
Explore mushrooms from the alphabetical list or search by name or properties.
Identify a mushroom
Know some characteristics but not the name? Use our mushroom identification helper to narrow it down.
New to identification? Start with identification basics.
Test your knowledge
Try our identification quiz and see how many mushrooms you recognise. Each run gives you new questions.
Upload your photos
Have good mushroom photos to share? Use the upload form and we will see if we can include them on the site.
Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Hygrocybe ceracea (Butter Waxcap). It grows in Europe, North America.
Dimensions: Cap 0.5-3.5 cm diameter, stem 2-5 cm tall * 0.2-0.4 cm thick
Description:
Hygrocybe ceracea, commonly known as the Butter Waxcap, is a small, brightly coloured waxcap mushroom found in unimproved grasslands, meadows, and mossy areas. It is characterised by its smooth, waxy, yellow to orange-yellow cap and slender stem, both of which often appear slightly greasy or moist. This species is typically encountered in late summer to autumn and is noted for its vivid, butter-like colouring and delicate stature.
Cap small, convex to flat and sometimes slightly depressed at the centre, smooth and waxy in texture. It is bright yellow to orange-yellow, often with a greasy or slightly sticky surface when fresh. The flesh is thin, soft, and yellowish. Gills adnate to narrowly attached, fairly distant, and waxy in texture. They are pale yellow, becoming deeper yellow with age. Stem slender, smooth, and more or less equal, sometimes slightly tapering at the base. It is yellow throughout, often with a greasy appearance, and lacks a ring. Spore print white.
Microscopic Features: The spores are oblong to cylindrical, often constricted, smooth, measuring 6.5–8 × 3–4 μm, and inamyloid.
Hygrocybe ceracea on the First Nature web site.
If you are interested in this mushroom, look it up in our database for more detailed photographs and additional information.
Many mushrooms are poisonous, and some can be lethally toxic. Distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms can be very challenging. Therefore, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms. This website does not contain any information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.
Although efforts have been made to ensure accuracy on this website, the information may contain errors and omissions. Therefore, all content provided is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or used as a basis for consuming any plants or mushrooms.
External links are provided for reference only. We do not endorse or take responsibility for the content, advice, or products found on these sites or in any advertisements shown on this website.