Cortinarius and Hebeloma

Also check out some of the fungal music on our site, and specifially, "Hebeloma"

The Cortinarius fungi are important mycorrhizal partners for trees and shrubs in our area. This group can be distingushed by the spider-web like veil under the cap, especially in young specimens. The spores are rusty brown. While similar species are eaten in Europe, it is not advised to collect Cortinarius or Hebeloma for the table; many species are poisonous.

Michael Amaranthus estimates that there are over 600 species of Cortinarius. They are currently divided into 5 or more sub-genera. These are some of the most common mushrooms encountered in the forest in autumn, yet very little is known about them.

Cortinarius spp.

This is a type of Hebeloma, probably crustuliniformis, that we saw frequently in unburned areas of interior Alaska.

Here is another Hebeloma, resembling mesophaeum, but notice the rhizomes on the base of the stipe.

This big purple Cortinarius camphoratus was spotted in Colorado where it is more common. It has a fragrant, spicy smell when young that changes to pretty rank a couple days after its picked. While attractive, it is not food. It is not possible to mistake this for the Blewit if you take a spore print. Cortinarius have a rusty brown spore print, the Blewit (Lepista nuda) has a white print.

Gymnopilus punctifolius
One of the rarer Gymnopilus, it is uniquely colored. The annulus was damaged before the picture was taken.

Gymnopilus lutescens
This Big and Obvious mushroom grows on conifer stumps; this one is a Ponderosa pine. While it is attaractive and not too bitter tasting, nobody seems to mistake it for food. These guys show up every few years where there is lots of wood to grow on.

These small wood decomposing mushrooms are now placed with the Cortinarius family. They lack a central stipe and are found from the tropics to the arctic.