Cortinarius rubellus

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Cortinarius rubellus
Cortinarius rubellus 01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Cortinariaceae
Genus: Cortinarius
Species:
C. rubellus
Binomial name
Cortinarius rubellus
Cooke, 1887
Synonyms

Cortinarius orellanoides Rob. Henry
Cortinarius speciosissimusKühner & Romagn.
Cortinarius rainierensis
Dermocybe orellanoides(Rob. Henry) M.M. Moser

Contents

Cortinarius rubellus
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Conical cap icon.svgConvex cap icon.svg Cap is conical or convex
Adnate gills icon2.svg Hymenium is adnate
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is cream to yellow
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgEcology is mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Deadly.pngEdibility is deadly

Cortinarius rubellus, commonly known as the deadly webcap, is a species of fungus in the family Cortinariaceae, native to high-latitude temperate to subalpine forests of Eurasia and North America. Within the genus it belongs to a group known as the Orellani, all of which are highly toxic. Eating them results in kidney failure, which is often irreversible. The mushroom is generally tan to brown all over, with a conical to convex cap 2.5 to 8 centimetres (1 to 3+14 in) in diameter, adnate gills and a 5.5 to 11 cm (2+14 to 4+14 in) tall stipe.

Taxonomy

British naturalist Mordecai Cubitt Cooke described Cortinarius rubellus in 1887 from material collected by a Dr. Carlyle at Orton Moss near Carlisle, Cumbria. [1] The name was rarely used before 1980, however. [2] Cortinarius orellanoides was described by Henry in 1937 from mushrooms growing under bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ) and beech in France, while Robert Kühner and Henri Romagnesi described C. speciosissimus (initially C. speciosus, but that name had already been given to another species of webcap) from mushrooms growing in moss among Vaccinium in pine and spruce forests of the French and Swiss Jura. [3] Cortinarius rainierensis, described in 1950 by Alex H. Smith and Daniel Elliot Stuntz from material collected in Mount Rainier National Park in the United States, [4] is a synonym. [5] Klaus Høiland reviewed material of C. orellanoides and C. speciosissimus and determined that the mushrooms and spores were identical. The only difference was that C. orellanoides grew in beech and C. speciosissimus preferred conifers, yet he had also found the latter species growing under beech in Norway. He concluded the name should be C. orellanoides, as that was the older name. [3] Høiland and others had noted that C. rubellus was likely to be the same species as well. [2] Gasparini queried this, however, because in Cooke's original illustrations of C. rubellus, he noted that the spores were drawn as triangular or fig-shaped and were not consistent with descriptions of C. orellanoides or C. speciosissimus. [6]

Cortinarius rubellus is one of seven highly toxic species that make up the orellani, a subgenus within genus Cortinarius. [6] In 2007, Bruno Gasparini proposed conserving the name C. speciosissimus against the other names as it had been chiefly known by this name between 1953 and 1980, and some doubts existed over which names were legitimate. Both C. rubellus and C. orellanoides lacked a type specimen and there was a possibility that the description of C. rubellus could have also applied to Cortinarius morrisii. [2] There was no consensus on the proposal as of 2022. [7]


Description

Cortinarius rubellus has a conical to convex (partly flattening to umbonate with maturity) cap of 2.5 to 8 centimetres (1 to 3+14 in) diameter. In colour, it is a tawny to date brown with paler margins, and is covered in fine, fibrous scales. The gills are ochre- or caramel-coloured, changing to a deeper brown with age as the spores mature. They have an adnate connection to the stipe. The stipe is 5.5 to 11 centimetres (2+14 to 4+14 in) tall, and 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres (14 to 58 in) thick with a bulbous base. It is the same colour or slightly paler than the cap, and can have yellow fragments of the veil (cortina) attached to its lower half. [8] The flesh is cream or pale yellow, but more tan below the pileipellis and in the stem base. It smells slightly of radishes and has no strong taste. [9]

Distribution and habitat

Cortinarius rubellus has been recorded in high-latitude temperate to subalpine forests throughout the northern hemisphere, including subalpine conifer forest in the Yatsugatake Mountains in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan. [10] In North America, it is found in British Columbia and western Washington, particularly Mount Rainier National Park. [11] C. rubellus occurs in Scandinavia and also occurs in the north of the British Isles, generally in wet areas of conifer or mixed conifer and broadleaf woodlands, though it is uncommon. [12]

Toxicity

Cortinarius rubellus contains orellanine, a powerful mycotoxin. The danger of poisoning was first recognized in 1972 in Finland, where four cases had occurred, two of which resulted in permanent kidney failure. [13] In 1979, three people on holiday in near Inverness were poisoned, [12] after mistaking it for the chanterelle. [9] Two of the three required kidney transplants. [12] Twenty-two people were poisoned between 1979 and 1993 in Sweden, nine of whom required a kidney transplant following end stage kidney failure (ESRF). Among the edible species they mistook the mushroom for were Craterellus tubaeformis and Hygrophorus species as well as chanterelles. [14] The edible Craterellus tubaeformis can be distinguished by its funnel-shaped cap and ridges on the cap's underside rather than gills. [15] In 1996, one person in Austria ate it while looking for magic mushrooms. [16]

Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer, his wife Charlotte Gordon Cumming, and two other relatives were accidentally poisoned in September 2008 after consuming deadly webcaps that they gathered on holiday. Evans had assumed they were ceps but overlooked that the mushrooms had gills rather than pores. All four victims were informed that they would require kidney transplants in the future. Several years later, Evans received a kidney donated by his daughter, Lauren. [17] The other three eventually received transplants after some searching for donors, despite Charlotte having only eaten three mouthfuls of mushroom; they were instrumental in setting up the charity Give a Kidney.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Amanita phalloides, commonly known as the death cap, is a deadly poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Widely distributed across Europe, but introduced to other parts of the world since the late twentieth century, A. phalloides forms ectomycorrhizas with various broadleaved trees. In some cases, the death cap has been introduced to new regions with the cultivation of non-native species of oak, chestnut, and pine. The large fruiting bodies (mushrooms) appear in summer and autumn; the caps are generally greenish in colour with a white stipe and gills. The cap colour is variable, including white forms, and is thus not a reliable identifier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mushroom poisoning</span> Harmful effects from ingestion of toxic substances present in a mushroom

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<i>Cortinarius</i> Genus of mushrooms

Cortinarius is a globally distributed genus of mushrooms in the family Cortinariaceae. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2,000 widespread species. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina (veil) between the cap and the stem, hence the name, meaning curtained. Most of the fibres of the cortina are ephemeral and will leave no trace once gone, except for limited remnants on the stem or cap edge in some species. All have a rusty brown spore print. The common names cortinar and webcap refer to members of the genus. Due to dangerous toxicity of several species and the fact that it is difficult to distinguish between various species of the genus, non-expert consumption of mushrooms from the genus is discouraged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orellanine</span> Chemical compound

Orellanine or orellanin is a mycotoxin found in a group of mushrooms known as the Orellani of the family Cortinariaceae. Structurally, it is a bipyridine N-oxide compound somewhat related to the herbicide diquat.

<i>Amanita ocreata</i> Species of poisonous fungus in the genus Amanita

Amanita ocreata, commonly known as the death angel, destroying angel, angel of death or more precisely western North American destroying angel, is a deadly poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. The large fruiting bodies generally appear in spring; the cap may be white or ochre and often develops a brownish centre, while the stipe, ring, gill and volva are all white. A. ocreata resembles several edible species commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning. Mature fruiting bodies can be confused with the edible A. velosa, A. lanei or Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, while immature specimens may be difficult to distinguish from edible Agaricus mushrooms or puffballs.

<i>Cortinarius flexipes</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius flexipes is a fungus, specifically a mushroom, a small brown species in the genus Cortinarius. It is commonly known as the Pelargonium webcap because of its unusual smell of Pelargonium.

<i>Cortinarius caperatus</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius caperatus is an edible mushroom of the genus Cortinarius found in northern regions of Europe and North America. It was known as Rozites caperata for many years before genetic studies revealed that it belonged to the genus Cortinarius. The fruit bodies appear in autumn in coniferous and beech woods as well as heathlands in late summer and autumn. The ochre-coloured cap is up to 10 cm (4 in) across and has a fibrous surface. The clay-colored gills are attached to the stipe under the cap, and the stipe is whitish with a whitish ring. The Latin specific name, caperatus, means wrinkled, and refers to the distinctive texture of the cap. The flesh has a mild smell and flavor.

<i>Cortinarius semisanguineus</i> Species of fungus

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.

<i>Craterellus lutescens</i> Species of fungus

Craterellus lutescens, formerly sometimes called Cantharellus lutescens or Cantharellus xanthopus or Cantharellus aurora, commonly known as Yellow Foot, camagroc in Catalan, craterelle jaune in French, is a species of mushroom. It is closely related to Craterellus tubaeformis. Its hymenium is usually orange or white, whereas the hymenium of C. tubaeformis is grey. C. lutescens is also usually found in wetlands.

<i>Cortinarius mucosus</i> Species of mushroom

Cortinarius mucosus, commonly known as the orange webcap or the slimy cortinarius, is a species of mushroom in the family Cortinariaceae. In North America, the species is more commonly associated with northern coniferous forests. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word mucosus, meaning mucus.

<i>Phlegmacium triumphans</i> Species of fungus

Phlegmacium triumphans, also known as the birch webcap, or yellow girdled webcap is a basidiomycete mushroom in the family Cortinariaceae. It is found in Europe and regarded as edible by some authorities, although others call it suspect and it resembles inedible species.

<i>Cortinarius violaceus</i> Species of fungus native to the Northern Hemisphere

Cortinarius violaceus, commonly known as the violet webcap or violet cort, is a fungus in the webcap genus Cortinarius native across the Northern Hemisphere. The fruit bodies are dark purple mushrooms with caps up to 15 cm (6 in) across, sporting gills underneath. The stalk measures 6 to 12 centimetres by 1 to 2 cm, sometimes with a thicker base. The dark flesh has a smell reminiscent of cedar wood. Forming symbiotic (ectomycorrhizal) relationships with the roots of various plant species, C. violaceus is found predominantly in conifer forests in North America and deciduous forests in Europe.

<i>Cortinarius archeri</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius archeri is a species of mushroom in the genus Cortinarius native to Australia. The distinctive mushrooms have bright purple caps that glisten with slime, and appear in autumn in eucalypt forests.

<i>Cortinarius traganus</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius traganus, also known as the gassy webcap or lilac conifer cortinarius, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Cortinarius. The mushrooms are characterized by their lilac color, the rusty-brown gills and spores, and rusty-brown flesh in the stem.

<i>Cortinarius praestans</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius praestans, also known as the goliath webcap, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Cortinarius. The mushroom has orangish-yellow caps that reach up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in diameter, and thick club-shaped stipes up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The edible mushroom is found in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orellani</span> Species of fungus

The Orellani are a group of seven related species in the genus Cortinarius that have been classified as a section of the subgenus Leprocybe or a subgenus in their own right. They are among world's most poisonous mushrooms as they contain the highly toxic compound orellanine. The best-known species are the deadly webcap and the fool's webcap, C. orellanus.

<i>Cortinarius orellanus</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius orellanus, commonly known as the fool's webcap or fools webcap, is a species of deadly fungus in the family Cortinariaceae native to Europe. Within the genus it belongs to a group known as the Orellani, all of which are highly toxic—eating them results in kidney failure, which is often irreversible. The mushroom is generally tan to brown all over.

<i>Cortinarius camphoratus</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius camphoratus, commonly known as the goatcheese webcap, is an agaric fungus in the family Cortinariaceae. The fungus is found in Europe and North America, where its fruit bodies (mushrooms) grow on the ground in a mycorrhizal association with spruce and firs in coniferous forests. Mushrooms are characterized by pale blue lilac colors when young, and a strong distinctive odor. Sources disagree as to the edibility of the mushroom, but they are generally not recommended for eating.

<i>Austrocortinarius australiensis</i> Species of fungus

Austrocortinarius australiensis, commonly known as the skirt webcap, is a species of mushroom in the family Cortinariaceae which is native to Australia and New Zealand. The white mushrooms appear in autumn and can grow very large, with their caps reaching 30 cm (12 in) in diameter.

<i>Cortinarius sanguineus</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius sanguineus, commonly known as the blood red webcap or blood red cortinarius, is a species of fungus in the genus Cortinarius.

References

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