Cortinarius distans

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by Ron Meyers

While the genus Cortinarius is the largest and in many cases the hardest, as far as identification is concerned, there are some species which are fairly distinctive. One of these is Cortinarius distans, which differs from many other Corts in its very widely spaced gills, its white ring zone, its hardwood habitat, and its early fruiting season.

This mushroom fruits gregariously from late spring to early fall in Kansas. While some field guides list it as uncommon, that description does not apply here. Several hundred were found fruiting on a single hillside in September. Those in the pea-sized button stage were the only ones which still showed an intact, cobweblike cortina.

The edibility of Cortinarius distans is unknown, but as Corts are difficult to differentiate and so many of them are poisonous or even deadly, I cannot imagine you would want to try it.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods, especially oaks; growing alone, in groups, or in small clusters; spring through fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains.

Cap: 3-10 cm; convex to sharply bell-shaped, becoming broadly convex or broadly bell-shaped; moist at first, later dry; finely grainy or scaly; cinnamon brown, changing color markedly as it dries out and becoming dull tan; the margin often splitting.

Gills: Attached to the stem, often by a notch; distant; yellowish tan becoming dark cinnamon brown; initially covered by a white cortina.

Stem: 4-9 cm long; .5-1.2 cm thick at the apex; equal or club-shaped (especially when young); dry or moist; often with a white ring zone.

Flesh: Thin and brittle; dingy.

Odor: Not distinctive.

Spore Print: Rusty brown.

Microscopic Features: Spores 6-9 x 5-6 µ; elliptical; roughened; dextrinoid.

REFERENCES: Peck, 1872. (Kauffman, 1918; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Horn, Kay & Abel, 1993; Roody, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 06130207, 05210403, 05260405, 05270401.

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Meyers, R. (2005, January). Cortinarius distans. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cortinarius_distans.html