Marsh Webcap

Appearance

Young caps often start of conical, becoming umbonate-convex 1.5 to 5cm in diameter and often developing a wavy margin. Cap colour is variable but usually tawny orange, coppery orange or occasionally brick red with the margin slightly paler than the central region; it is covered in yellowish radial fibrils most noticeably near the margin.

Stems are cylindrical, 2.5-6,5cm tall and 0.3-1cm in diameter, occasionally with a slightly swollen base; surface longitudinally fibrillose and coloured as the cap; flesh yellow with a reddish tinge.
Gills of Cortinarius Cortinarius uliginosus, Marsh Webcap.

The adnate gills are close; initially bright lemon-yellow, tuning saffron to ochre-buff or tawny-buff.

Naming

The generic name Cortinarius is a reference to the partial veil or cortina (meaning a curtain) that covers the gills when caps are immature. In the genus Cortinarius most species produce partial veils in the form of a fine web of radial fibres connecting the stem to the rim of the cap rather than a solid membrane.

The specific epithet uliginosus, which comes from Latin, means 'of marshes or bogs' and is a reference to the usual growing habitat of this webcap mushroom.

Distribution

Scarce in Britain, the Marsh Webcap is recorded from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland; it also occurs in many parts of northern and central Europe but rarely in Mediterranean countries.

Behavior

This mushroom is a member of the subgenus Dermocybe, which includes several deadly poisonous webcaps. It should be regarded as 'suspect' and may contain dangerous toxins, and so it should not be gathered for eating. Some reddish Cortinarius species with which the Marsh Webcap could be confused contain the toxin orellanine, which if eaten destroys human kidneys and liver.