The waxy caps are white-spored mushrooms with thick, waxy gills and, frequently, waxy or slimy caps. Two main groups of waxy caps can easily be distinguished in the field: those that tend to have medium-sized to large caps that are convex, slimy, and dull-colored or whitish; and those those that have smaller caps that are convex to conical, slimy or dry, and often brightly colored. These groups correspond roughly to the genera Hygrophorus and Hygrocybe (in that order), though many waxy caps can be found that require the use of a microscope in order to be certain which genus applies. Species of Hygrophorus have divergent gill tissue, while species of Hygrocybe demonstrate parallel gill tissue. A third group, sometimes separated in the genus "Camarophyllus," has interwoven gill tissue.