Cortinarius iodes

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

by Michael Kuo

Here is an eastern species that is fairly easy to recognize--at least by Cortinarius standards. Both its cap and stem are slimy, placing it in the Myxacium subgenus. The purplish to lavender cap becomes spotted with yellowish to tan areas, and the stem is often bulbous at the base. The young gills are purplish, but soon become rusty as the spores mature. There are several similar species (see comments below).

I do not recommend any North American Cortinarius for the table; they are extremely difficult to identify, edibility is not known for many (most?) of the hundreds of species, and some are known to be very toxic.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods, especially oaks; growing alone or gregariously; summer and fall; eastern North America (also reported from the Pacific Northwest), documented in Colombia and Costa Rica.

Cap: 2.5-5 cm; convex to broadly convex or broadly bell-shaped; slimy; smooth; purple, becoming faded somewhat, with yellowish spots developing, especially near the center.

Gills: Attached to the stem; close; purple, becoming cinnamon to rusty; covered by a cortina when young.

Stem: 5-7.5 cm long; .5-1 cm thick; slimy; pale or purplish; more or less equal but often with a bulbous base, especially when young; sometimes with a rusty ring zone.

Taste of Cap Slime (sorry): Mild. Only an experienced mushroomer who is determined to separate this mushroom from its look-alikes should test this feature (use the tip of the tongue).

Flesh: Purplish to pale; soft.

Spore Print: Rusty.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-12 x 5-7 µ; elliptical; slightly roughened.

REFERENCES: Berkeley & M. A. Curtis. (Kauffman, 1918; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992.)

Cortinarius heliotropicus is a synonym.

Cortinarius iodeoides is very similar, but has a bitter cap surface and spores that are narrower (4-4.5 µ). Most of the other look-alikes fade quickly and are less purple, at least in maturity; there are too many of these to treat responsibly here.

Further Online Information:

Cortinarius iodes at Macrofungi of Costa Rica

© MushroomExpert.Com

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2005, January). Cortinarius iodes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cortinarius_iodes.html