Cortinarius sp? ID please

stickman · #1 (**permalink**) 14-08-2009, 10:52 PM

Right. I've been prodding and poking this one all night and it won't tell me what it is.

Found at the base of hawthorn in deciduous woodland. Slight yellowing at base of stipe when cut. no odour. Basidia 4 spored, I can maybe see very few clavate pleurocystidia

..... largest cap 4cm

Closest I can get is Cortinarius bolaris, but I think that could be waaaay off.

Cheers ladies and gents

Nick.

Chris Yeates · #2 (**permalink**) 14-08-2009, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stickman

Right. I've been prodding and poking this one all night and it won't tell me what it is.

Found at the base of hawthorn in deciduous woodland. Slight yellowing at base of stipe when cut. no odour. Basidia 4 spored, I can maybe see very few clavate pleurocystidia

..... largest cap 4cm

Closest I can get is Cortinarius bolaris, but I think that could be waaaay off.

Cheers ladies and gents

Nick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stickman

Right. I've been prodding and poking this one all night and it won't tell me what it is.

Found at the base of hawthorn in deciduous woodland. Slight yellowing at base of stipe when cut. no odour. Basidia 4 spored, I can maybe see very few clavate pleurocystidia

..... largest cap 4cm

Closest I can get is Cortinarius bolaris, but I think that could be waaaay off.

Cheers ladies and gents

Nick.

hi

I'm afraid you are indeed way off - not only with Cortinarius bolaris, but with Cortinarius at all . . .

Cortinarius is by no means the only genus which has a "cortina" (veil) protecting the gills of the developing fruitbodies . . .

you have seen that the basidia were 4-spored - what colour were the spores?; for Cortinarius they should be both coloured and to some degree roughened: I suspect yours were smooth and hyaline (colourless)?

I think you have an Armillaria there - one of the Honey Fungus complex; when you say "Found at the base of hawthorn . . ." does that mean actually on the wood?
Cortinarius are all mycorrhizal, growing in association with "woody" plants but not on them

best wishes

Chris

stickman · #3 (**permalink**) 14-08-2009, 11:39 PM

Cheers Chris,

You're right of course

.

The spores were smooth and colourless. This is (strangely) the first Armillaria I've found, but I should've seen it coming really....I think I was expecting a great caespitose clump of them, whereas there were only three or four a good few inches away from each other in this case.

Many thanks, Nick.

Chris Yeates · #4 (**permalink**) 14-08-2009, 11:48 PM

hey Nick - whatever you do, don't be in the least discouraged . . . . if you're seeing 4-spored basidia and are looking for cystidia you're well on the way

good hunting!

Chris

stickman · #5 (**permalink**) 15-08-2009, 12:03 AM

Thanks, to be honest I haven't been able to get into microscopy at all despite having some good beginners literature (as recommended by Mal) until earlier this evening....

I was trying to ID what I assumed to be a Pluteus sp (yet another first for me) and I just thought "what the hell" and threw it under the 'scope.

And WOW I had spores, basidia, (hooked) pleuro & cheilocystidia - The lot!

Suddenly it all just clicked.

Feel like I've opened another world.

Nick.