Hygrocybe psittacina

Hygrocybe psittacina, commonly known as the Parrot Toadstool or Parrot Waxcap, is a colourful member of the genus Hygrocybe, the waxcaps, found across Northern Europe. Originally described as Hygrophorus psittacinus, there have been at least two subspecies described, H. psittacina var. psittacina and H. psittacina var. perplexa, which was initially described as a separate species H. perplexa.

The bright green colour of this fungus is not due to chlorophyll; fungi do not possess this chemical.

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Description

The Parrot Toadstool is a small mushroom, with a convex to umbonate cap 1-3 centimetres (⅓-1 in) in diameter, which is green when young and later yellowish or even pinkish tinged. The 2-4 cm stem is green to greenish yellow. The broad adnate gills are greenish with yellow edges and spore print white. The green colouring persists at the stem apex even in old specimens.

Distribution and habitat

H. psittacina var. psittacina is widely distributed in grasslands in Western Europe, Iceland, Greenland, the Americas, South Africa and Japan, being found in late summer and autumn. In Europe it is apparently in decline due to the degradation of habitats. Early Australian records of this form have been found to be the similar green toadstools Hygrocybe graminicolor or H. stevensoniae on reexamination.

H. psittacina var. perplexa has been recorded in Western Europe, the Americas and Japan as well as one Australian record in Eastern Victoria.

Edibility

Despite its small size and being coated in a sticky substance, Hygrocybe psittacina is often listed as edible in mushroom guides. Consumption of over 20 specimens in one sitting, however, can cause gastrointestinal disorders.

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