Summary:
Hygrocybe coccinea group is characterized by a bright red dry or tacky cap, reddish to orange or peachy gills, and a non-viscid stem that is usually red to reddish-orange with a yellow or whitish base. |Preliminary sequencing of collections labeled as this species showed two species in the Pacific Northwest, neither corresponding to European material. |The name is used by Hesler(1) in the sense of Ricken because the latter emphasized that the cap was more moist than viscid, whereas Fries described the cap as viscid. |Largent(4) comments that the Hesler(1) taxon, which he regards as common in coastal northwestern CA, differs from that of Kuehner for Hygrophorus coccineus var. coccineus (rare if found in California) who describes a smaller fungus with 1-3cm cap (instead of 2-5cm), with a dry to at most lubricous cap that has a thinner cuticle 10-50 microns (versus the more lubricous to viscid cap with a 123-300 microns cuticle), sinuate to broadly adnate gills (versus adnexed gills that tend to become slightly adnate), and a shorter thinner stem 1.1-4.7cm x 0.2-0.4(0.8)cm (versus 3-8cm x 0.3-0.7cm). |Largent(4) also says that the Hesler(1) taxon differs from the concepts of Arnolds, Moser, and Bon who describe a bright cherry red, dry to lubricous cap, and adnate bright red gills. |Largent(4) does not comment on the name Hygrocybe coccinea (Fr.) P. Kumm., which is used here only because it was given as a synonym by Hesler(1): neither Hesler(1) nor Largent(4) use the genus Hygrocybe. |Largent(4) also described Hygrophorus coccineus (Fr.) Fr. var. umbonata (Henrink) Largent as rare in coastal northwestern CA, (identical with H. coccineus var. coccineus sensu Kuehner except that the cap is acutely umbonate to mamillate) with a 1.5-3.5cm cap and that it is recognized by "strawberry to cherry red colors, mamillate to obtusely conic to obtusely umbonate and convex, dry to lubricous pileus, adnate lamellae, narrowly elliptical spores, and pileus cuticle composed of non-gelatinized broad hyphae". |Hygrocybe coccinea was considered rare by Hesler(1).

Cap:
1.5-4(6)cm across, obtusely conic or convex becoming flat or slightly umbonate; deep red, blood red or bright red when fresh, fading somewhat when old "or developing paler streaks or splotches"; smooth, dry or tacky, (Arora), 2-5cm across, obtusely conic with incurved margin when young, obtusely umbonate, with spreading margin when old; "Nopal red" to "spectrum red", fading somewhat; moist or sublubricous to subviscid, smooth, bald, margin may be faintly striatulate when moist, (Hesler)

Flesh:
thin, waxy; reddish to orange, (Arora), waxy, fragile, reddish to orange, (Hesler)

Gills:
adnate to adnexed or free, broad, thick, soft, waxy; ''reddish to orange or peachy, or red with yellow edges'', (Arora), "broadly adnate to adnexed, often with decurrent tooth", "close to subdistant, broad, thickish", interveined; ''orange-red to yellowish orange, pallid yellowish when dried''; edges even, (Hesler)

Stem:
3-7(10)cm x 0.3-0.8cm, equal, hollow; usually red to reddish orange with yellow base (but base sometimes whitish from mycelium); smooth, not viscid, typically not fibrillose-striate, (Arora), 3-7cm x 0.3-0.8cm, equal, fragile, hollow; colored as cap in upper part or throughout, soon becoming yellowish near base which is sometimes whitish from a coat of mycelium; moist, not viscid, bald, glistening, uneven, (Hesler)

Veil:
absent

Odor:
none (Hesler)

Taste:
mild (Hesler)

Microscopic spores:
spores 7-10.5 x 4-5 microns, elliptic, smooth, (Arora); spores 7-10.5 x 4-5 microns, elliptic, smooth, inamyloid; basidia 4-spored, 43-54 x 6-8 microns; pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia not differentiated; gill tissue subparallel; clamp connections on hyphae of cuticle, gill trama, and subhymenium, (Hesler), spores 7.1-10.2 x 4.1-5.6 microns, (Largent for Hygrophorus coccineus sensu Hesler and Smith)

Spore deposit:
white (Arora)

Notes:
Hesler(1) examined material for WA, OR, ON, AL, CA, FL, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, PA, TN, Denmark, and the Netherlands, and they include NY, Greenland and Japan in the distribution. There are collections from BC at University of British Columbia.

EDIBILITY

said to be edible but easily confused with H. punicea (Arora)