Bitter Waxcap vs bristly bearberry

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Arctostaphylos columbiana

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while bristly bearberry is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	bristly bearberry
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Ericales (Ericales)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Ericaceae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Arctostaphylos
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Arctostaphylos columbiana

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

bristly bearberry

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	bristly bearberry
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.

bristly bearberry

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Canada.

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.

bristly bearberry

The Bristly bearberry (Arctostaphylos columbiana) is a species in the genus Arctostaphylos. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.