Cortinarius corrugatus

[Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Cortinariaceae > Cortinarius > Bulbopodium ... ]

by Michael Kuo

If it weren't for the distinctively corrugated cap--reminiscent of the cap of Psathyrella delineata--this mushroom would be a nightmare to identify. Most authors believe it belongs in subgenus Bulbopodium of Cortinarius, but the crucial features for Bulbopodium are a slimy cap and a stem that ends in an abrupt basal bulb; Cortinarius corrugatus is likely to meet this description only when it is about two centimeters high, since the cap often dries out and the stem elongates quickly, so that by maturity the bulb is not much of a bulb.

Aside from the corrugated cap, salient features include the faintly lilac, then rusty gills; the rusty brown spore print; the long and slender stem that by maturity features only a slightly swollen base and usually lacks a ring zone; the terrestrial growth under hardwoods (especially Beech) in eastern North America; and the large, warty, dextrinoid spores.

Edibility is not known for Cortinarius corrugatus, and the genus is fraught with toxic perils. Do not experiment.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with Beech and other hardwoods; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer and fall; widely distributed in eastern North America, and documented in Costa Rica.

Cap: 4-10 cm; bell-shaped to convex or widely conical at first, becoming broadly convex to broadly bell-shaped; slimy when fresh or wet, but often merely tacky or even dry; bald, but distinctively corrugated-wrinkled except in the very center; orange-brown to reddish brown or yellowish brown.

Gills: Attached to the stem; close; whitish, grayish, or pale lilac at first, becoming cinnamon to rusty with a slight hint of lilac.

Cortina: Ephemeral; rarely seen.

Stem: 7-12 cm long; up to 2 cm thick; more or less equal, terminating in a slightly rounded bulb; dry; finely silky; whitish to yellowish or pale brownish; often with rusty, slimy veil material around the bulb.

Flesh: Whitish.

Odor: Not distinctive.

Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface dark red to black.

Spore Print: Rusty brown.

Microscopic Features: Spores 11-15 x 7-10 µ; elliptical; warty; dextrinoid. Pleurocystidia absent; cheilocystidia mostly clavate.

REFERENCES: Peck, 1872. (Saccardo, 1887; Kauffman, 1918; Kauffman, 1932; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Phillips, 1991/2005; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 09110503.

Further Online Information:

Cortinarius corrugatus at Macrofungi of Costa Rica

© MushroomExpert.Com

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2007, March). Cortinarius corrugatus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cortinarius_corrugatus.html