Hygrocybe_virginea

Description: Solitary to scattered medium sized waxy cap, on soil amongst grass in open ground or close to Bay laurel or Olive trees.
Pileus: Fragile, white to off white (beige) coloured, convex in young specimens to flat (but some specimens with slight umbo) to infundibuliform, smooth, dry to occasionally slightly sticky; 4-32mm diameter.
Stipe: White, tapering towards the base, smooth, dry, flesh white without colour change, centrally stuffed; 4-12mm diameter, up to 25mm in height.
Gills: White, distant, markedly decurrent, thick and waxy, anastomosing near stipe, L=16-20, l=1-3.
Spore print: White

Microscopy:
Pileipellis: Ixocutis with a lower layer of interwoven inflated hyphae.
Basidia: Elongated, thin with long sterigmata, 2-spored (all specimens collected)
Gill trama: Irregular.
Cheilocystidia: Absent.
Pleurocystidia: Absent.
Spores: Ellipsoid, hyaline, rough ; 9.0-12.1µm x 5.8-8.5µm; Q=1.30-1.79, Qm=1.50

This species was commonly known as Camarophyllus niveus. It is a common species in many areas of Malta. Several specimens were infected with a fungus, reported (in the UK) as Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb.