Cortinarius malicorius

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

by Michael Kuo

The young gills of this beautiful Cortinarius are orange, which helps to separate it from many similar species in subgenus (or genus--take your pick) Dermocybe. It is pretty much impossible to identify Cortinarii successfully without knowing what color the gills are before turning rusty to cinnamon brown as the spores mature; you will always need to have young specimens in your collection. Even when the color of the young gills is known, however, microscopic analysis is usually required--and Cortinarius malicorius is no exception. Some of the other orange-gilled look-alikes (those in the Cortinarius aureifolius species cluster) grow only in sand, and one look-alike (Cortinarius zakii) appears to be limited to association with Douglas-Fir. Cortinarius malicorius appears to prefer pines--but its small spores (see measurements below) must be confirmed in order to separate it from still more look-alikes.

There used to be two species involved in what is now called Cortinarius malicorius. Cortinarius croceofolius (AKA Cortinarius croceifolius) was described by the American mycologist Charles Peck in 1911; it lacked olive colorations on the cap and in the flesh, and was considered distinct from Cortinarius malicorius, a European species that does demonstrate olive shades. However, the two species have been proclaimed synonymous, and the older name prevails.

Cortinarius malicorius may be poisonous; it should not be eaten.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with conifers, especially pines; growing scattered or gregariously, often in wet areas or with sphagnum; fall (and winter on the West Coast); widely distributed in North America but more common in the Northeast.

Cap: 2-5 cm; convex or nearly conical at first, becoming broadly convex, flat, depressed, or broadly bell-shaped; fairly dry; silky to finely scaly; yellowish or orangish at first, often with olive tones, becoming orangish brown to cinnamon brown overall.

Gills: Attached to the stem but sometimes pulling away from it in age; close; orange at first, becoming cinnamon to rusty; covered by a yellowish to orangish cortina when young.

Stem: 2-7 cm long; up to 1 cm thick; more or less equal; dry; silky with orangish to yellowish (later cinnamon) fibers; yellowish, often discoloring olive brown to brownish below; sometimes with a rusty ring zone.

Flesh: Yellowish or olive.

Odor: Radishlike.

Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface red or reddish black.

Spore Print: Rusty brown.

Microscopic Features: Spores 6-7 x 4-4.5 µ; elliptical; slightly roughened.

Dermocybe malicoria, Cortinarius croceofolius, Cortinarius croceifolius, Dermocybe croceofolia, and Dermocybe croceifolia are synonyms. While not a synonym, the "Cortinarius cinnamomeus" of many field guides may be Cortinarius malicorius (see also the yellow-gilled Cortinarius croceus regarding confusion with Cortinarius cinnamomeus).

REFERENCES: Fries, 1838. (Kauffman, 1918; Kauffman, 1932; Ammirati, 1972; Ammirati, 1988; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Hansen & Knudsen, 1992.) Herb. Kuo 01170506.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2005, February). Cortinarius malicorius. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cortinarius_malicorius.html