Golden Waxcap vs Orange Waxcap

Hygrocybe chlorophana compared with Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens

Key Differences

• Golden Waxcap is Least Concern while Orange Waxcap is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golden Waxcap	Orange Waxcap
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Hygrophoraceae	Hygrophoraceae
Genus same	Hygrocybe	Hygrocybe
Species	Hygrocybe chlorophana	Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens

Evolutionary Relationship

Golden Waxcap and Orange Waxcap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Hygrocybe.

Conservation Status

Golden Waxcap

LC — Least Concern

Orange Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Golden Waxcap	Orange Waxcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Golden Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

Orange Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden