Unidentified mushroom

[NickCantle]

Ok guys, I'm going for it this evening!

I've just found this one, which I took in October when myself and David (Cybershot) visited Frensham Ponds in Surrey Initially, I think it was suggested to be a Psathyrella, but with the latest threads on the fungi forum involving our favourite genus Cortinarius, I thought this little one looks much more likely to be a Cortinarius than a Psathyrella. Of course it might be something totally different, but although there are no evidential photographs on me, I recollect looking at the underside and noticing a white cortina, so why I didn't immediately think Cortinarius, I don't know

What do we reckon. Time to get out the Soop key, whatever his name is



Cheers, all help appreciated greatly!

Nick

[FungiJus]

Well I hate to demonstrate my ignorance on my first proper post Nick, but had you considered Lacrymaria lacrymabunda (or does it have a new name now which is nowhere near as poetic?)

Scaly cap, zoned stipe, cortina, even a droplet of water all would fit (I think) - the only problem would be the color being too dark, but then again, it looks like it has been rained on which could affect the colour?

John and Ken will tell me why I'm wrong....

[Leif]

It's a Cortinarius, and looks like Cortinarius paleaceus, or a closely related species. Did you sniff it? There might have been a smell of Geraniums.

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by FungiJus

Well I hate to demonstrate my ignorance on my first proper post Nick, but had you considered Lacrymaria lacrymabunda (or does it have a new name now which is nowhere near as poetic?)

Scaly cap, zoned stipe, cortina, even a droplet of water all would fit (I think) - the only problem would be the color being too dark, but then again, it looks like it has been rained on which could affect the colour?

John and Ken will tell me why I'm wrong....

I'd agree with Leif on Pelargonium Webcap - Cortinarius paleaceus. But I do see how you could consider the Weeping Widow - Lacrymaria lacrymabunda.

Lacrymaria tends to have a more ochre brown coloured cap which is more 'lattice' like and generally smoothes out towards the umbo on ageing. It also has quite ragged fibrils.

It's the gills which exude the black spore rich water droplets, hence weeping willow. These drops fall on neighbouring fruit bodies leaving the distinctive stain on drying.

Its size in comparison to surrounding material suggests Cortinarius ... Lacrymaria has a much larger cap size.

btw I bet it was on it's own ... typical

[Leif]

As an aside on Lacrymaria velutina, from memory the stem is rather brittle, and hollow if I am not mistaken.

[NickCantle]

It looks like a good match. I'll pretend it did smell of Geraniums So it's looking like Cortinarius paleaceus. Thanks guys

[Fungus Ken]

So why is it not Cortinarius hemitrichus? Without knowing the smell, I don't think you could plump for Cortinarius flexipes var flabellus (= C. paleaceus) with any confidence.

In case anyone would like to see the most up-to-date description I have of Cortinarius flexipes, here it is:

"Cappello: 15-30 mm, emisferico, presto conico or conico-campanulato, poi espanso ma sempre con un piccolo umbone centrale, il bordo piu o meno appendicolato, leggermente dentellato..."

Perhaps not. (But interestingly I think you can see from the above that you can get the gist of mycological Italian without knowing much Italian at all.)

Ken

[Fungus Ken]

For Nick's benefit, here is a reminder of how this would key out in Karl Soop's key:

The stem is relatively slender (less than 8 mm in diameter) which takes you to 'Telamonia C: small species' in Karl Soop's keys.

This key begins:

1. stipe with distinct yellow, red or brown veil remnants... 2
1*. stipe with distinct white to grey (occasionally faintly violaceous) veil remnants... 20
1**. stipe with sparse or no veil remnants... 40

In this case the veil on the stem is cleary white which takes us via option 1* to step 20.

20. cap with white squamules... 21
20*. cap with sparse or no veil remnants... 26

No doubt here. Although the veil remnants on the cap can wash off in the rain, we have here a fine and fresh specimen with white squamules all over the cap, which takes us to step 21.

21. smell of Geranium... 22
21*. smell trivial (ie not distinctive)... 24

The first option leads to the group around Cortinarius flexipes but you need to know whether it has a distinctive smell to key it out. Without a smell you would continue to step 24.

24. under Betula... Cortinarius hemitrichus
24* in coniferous forest... 25

Presuming deciduous woodland, this would then key out to Cortinarius hemitrichus, and unlike the specimen in Leif's earlier thread, this would easily fall within the size, colour range and overall jizz for this species.

And a reminder of the Basidiomycota Checklist entry:

"Cortinarius hemitrichus
Habitat: On acidic soil, associated with Betula spp. in birchwoods or mixed woodland. Reported on occasions with other trees such as Fagus and Quercus spp. but birch always present in the vicinity.
Notes: Common and widespread."

Any thoughts?

Ken

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Fungus Ken

So why is it not Cortinarius hemitrichus? Without knowing the smell, I don't think you could plump for Cortinarius flexipes var flabellus (= C. paleaceus) with any confidence.

C. hemitrichus is the other species I had in mind too. I agree that we could not say with any certainty from the photo that it is C. paleaceus or not. I happen to think it is C. paleaceus, based on past collections, but I could be wrong.

My experience has been that C. hemitrichus has less banding on the stem, and a broader less pointy paler cap as in this example:



Interestingly the specimen above was with Birch and other trees. I was not aware of the Birch association.

However, internet pictures do not conform to my expectations. Of course it could be that the internet pictures are mis-ids, but I do not know.

It does seem worrying to just use the smell as the separating factor. I recall one collection I classed as C. hemitrichus, then someone else sniffed it, and it turned into C. paleaceus.

[Fungus Ken]

Originally Posted by Leif

It does seem worrying to just use the smell as the separating factor. I recall one collection I classed as C. hemitrichus, then someone else sniffed it, and it turned into C. paleaceus.

Been there, done that.

To me it just sums up the problems with Cortinarius where the separation of species seems to be a secret known only to a few experts who live in some rarified place where all manner of Cortinarius seem to spring forth - species that are largely unknown and unseen by the majority of field mycologists.

Ken