Butter Waxcap vs Honey Waxcap

Hygrocybe ceracea compared with Hygrocybe reidii

Key Differences

• Butter Waxcap is Least Concern while Honey Waxcap is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Butter Waxcap	Honey 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 ceracea	Hygrocybe reidii

Evolutionary Relationship

Butter Waxcap and Honey Waxcap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Hygrocybe.

Conservation Status

Butter Waxcap

LC — Least Concern

Honey Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Butter Waxcap	Honey Waxcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Butter Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and United States.

Honey 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.

Butter Waxcap

The Butter Waxcap (Hygrocybe ceracea) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden