Cortinarius semisanguineus
Encyclopedia
Cortinarius semisanguineus is a medium-sized mushroom
with a pale brown to ochre cap
, and bright blood-red gills. It belongs to the genus Cortinarius
, a group collectively known as webcaps. It is found growing in conifer plantations, and has recently been given the fanciful common name of surprise webcap. In the past it has been called the red-gilled webcap.
. Most mycologists retain Dermocybe as merely a subgenus of Cortinarius. The group contains almost 30 species. The species name semisanguineus means 'half blood-red', a reference to the gill colour, as compared with Cortinarius sanguineus which is wholly blood-red.
is campanulate (bell-shaped), and later flattens, but retains a broad umbo (shield-like central boss). It is usually between 2–8 cm (0.8–3.4 in) across, brownish ochre, or umber and with a darker centre. It is covered in fine fibrils, and is dry. The stipe
is usually the same colour as the cap or paler, and is smooth, or finely fibrillose like the cap. It is long, slim, and cylindrical. Cortinal remnants often left on the stem in this species can be quite fleeting. The gills are adnate, markedly sinuate, and fairly crowded. They are initially blood-red, but turn cinnamon-brown on aging, giving a spore print
of the same colour. The flesh
is said to smell of radishes, and it is ochre in the stem, but more olive in the cap.
A similar species, Cortinarius phoeniceus has a redder cap, and more distinct red cortinal remnants around the stem.
, and birch woods in autumn (fall). It is occasional in Britain
, Europe
, Scandinavia
, and parts of North America
. It has a mycorrhizal relationship with birch trees (Betula), and other coniferous softwood trees. It is often abundant under young spruce in plantations on acid soil, appearing from August to November.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
with a pale brown to ochre cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
, and bright blood-red gills. It belongs to the genus Cortinarius
Cortinarius
Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2000 different species and found worldwide. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina between the cap and the stem, hence the name,...
, a group collectively known as webcaps. It is found growing in conifer plantations, and has recently been given the fanciful common name of surprise webcap. In the past it has been called the red-gilled webcap.
Taxonomy
This mushroom is placed by some authorities in the genus DermocybeDermocybe
The fungi of the Dermocybe group, commonly known as Skin-heads, form a group within the huge genus Cortinarius. They are generally considered to be a subgenus though some authorities consider them to form a genus in their own right....
. Most mycologists retain Dermocybe as merely a subgenus of Cortinarius. The group contains almost 30 species. The species name semisanguineus means 'half blood-red', a reference to the gill colour, as compared with Cortinarius sanguineus which is wholly blood-red.
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is campanulate (bell-shaped), and later flattens, but retains a broad umbo (shield-like central boss). It is usually between 2–8 cm (0.8–3.4 in) across, brownish ochre, or umber and with a darker centre. It is covered in fine fibrils, and is dry. The stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is usually the same colour as the cap or paler, and is smooth, or finely fibrillose like the cap. It is long, slim, and cylindrical. Cortinal remnants often left on the stem in this species can be quite fleeting. The gills are adnate, markedly sinuate, and fairly crowded. They are initially blood-red, but turn cinnamon-brown on aging, giving a spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
of the same colour. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is said to smell of radishes, and it is ochre in the stem, but more olive in the cap.
A similar species, Cortinarius phoeniceus has a redder cap, and more distinct red cortinal remnants around the stem.
Distribution and habitat
Cortinarius semisanguineus appears in conifer, or mixed coniferTemperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Mixed forests are a temperate and humid biome. The typical structure of these forests includes four layers. The uppermost layer is the canopy composed of tall mature trees ranging from 33 to 66 m high. Below the canopy is the three-layered, shade-tolerant understory that is roughly 9 to...
, and birch woods in autumn (fall). It is occasional in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and parts of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It has a mycorrhizal relationship with birch trees (Betula), and other coniferous softwood trees. It is often abundant under young spruce in plantations on acid soil, appearing from August to November.