[4] Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries described it as Agaricus pudorinus in his 1821 work Systema Mycologicum.

[7] The fruit body (mushroom) is a fair size, with a 5–12 cm (2–4+3⁄4 in) diameter pink to golden convex cap with a downrolled margin that is lighter in colour.

[1] Hygrophorus pudorinus is found in coniferous woodlands under fir and spruce trees[9] across western and northeastern North America;[1] it is particularly common in Canada[9] and the Rocky Mountains.

[6] The mushrooms appear in groups or fairy rings in late summer and autumn.

[9] Its variable appearance makes identification difficult and hence raises risk of misidentification.