#cortinariaceae

[mossymicroscope]

More Mushrooms of the North

[natureinsight]

Cortinarius traganus, haisuseitikki

[regnum-plantae]

Gymnopilus junonius

Some fungi look so impressive you would think detailed observation and a good manual with keys will be enough to find out their identity, but this was further from the truth for this species, which kept me puzzled for months. When I finally gave up and submitted photos and info to the British Mycological Society, it turned out to be a fairly common one, generally known as laughing gym or spectacular rustgill. 

Widely distributed around the world, it is a saprobic fungus often found in large colonies on the wood of conifers. Its fruiting bodies emerge from the long-lived mycelium every autumn and can grow fairly large: the cap of the ones you see in the first photo were slightly larger than the palm of my hand, probably around 15 cm across.

I haven’t really been able to find anything regarding practical uses, but it’s decidedly inedible and more or less toxic and hallucinogenic depending on subspecies and origin.       

[wapiti3]

Cortinariaceae sp. 

The macro club project (Fungi - Mushrooms)

[drhoz]

#2055 - Cortinarius sinapicolor - Mustard-coloured Cortinar

A slimy yellow gilled mushroom, smelling strongly of pepper when damaged, and found in the SW and SE corners of Australia. Mycorhizal, usually with eucalypts.

Until 2022, the family contained only the genus Cortinarius, but genomic information has now split it into fourteen. Eating any of them is probably unwise - many contain the kidney toxin orellanine.

[eda11y]

737 by KvdS

[eda11y]

722 (See the explanation) by KvdS

[natureinsight]

Cortinarius caperatus, kehnäsieni