About Hygrophorus hypothejus (Fr.) Fr.
Hygrophorus hypothejus (Fr.) Fr. has a cap that ranges from 3 to 6 cm (1+1⁄8 to 2+3⁄8 inches) across. The cap is yellowish to olive brown with a dark center and a slimy surface; when young, it has a rolled margin, and as it ages, it flattens and becomes more funnel-shaped. Its gills are yellow and decurrent, and its flesh is pale yellow, turning orange-red when bruised. The slender stipe is 4 to 7 cm (1+5⁄8 to 2+3⁄4 inches) tall and 0.7 to 1.4 cm (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch) wide. Its color can become more intense after frosts begin. It produces a white spore print, and its oval spores measure 7–9 by 4–5 micrometers. This mushroom grows in coniferous forests, and fruits from October to November, and occasionally in December. Even when abundant, it is often difficult to spot among pine needles, and it frequently grows in large groups of individual mushrooms and clusters.
