Foxy False Chanterelle

The fruit body has an orange- to dark brown cap, which is up to 10 cm (4 in) across. The stipe, flesh and decurrent gills are all orange. The gills are forked. Hygrophoropsis rufa can have a penetrating ozone-like smell, reportedly reminiscent of an orchid species Oncidium ornithorhynchum or a photocopier. Spores of H. rufa are thick-walled and have an ellipsoid shape, and measure 5.6–6.4 by 3.6–4.4 micrometres (μm). They have a strongly dextrinoid staining reaction with Melzer's reagent (resulting in a reddish-brown colour), although not all spores will react. Microscopically, the cells of the cap cuticle are arranged in the form of a trichoderm, where the outermost hyphae emerge roughly parallel, like hairs, perpendicular to the cap surface. These hyphae are of three types: broad, thick-walled and hyaline (translucent); filiform (threadlike); or with granular golden-brown contents. In contrast, the cap cuticle of H. aurantiaca is arranged as a uniformly tangled cutis (with hyphae parallel to the pileus surface).

A rare species, H. rufa has been recorded in the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Denmark, although unconfirmed internet photos suggest a wider range that includes France and Slovakia. A saprophytic fungus, it fruits on woodchips or near conifer stumps.