Bitter Waxcap vs Black Maple

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Acer nigrum

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Black Maple is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Black Maple
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Sapindaceae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Acer
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Acer nigrum

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Black Maple

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Black Maple
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Waxcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Black Maple

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

Bitter Waxcap

The Bitter Waxcap (Hygrocybe mucronella) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Black Maple

The Black Maple (Acer nigrum) is a species in the genus Acer. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.