Cortinarius caninus

Description

Cortinarius caninus is a basidiomycota mushroom in the family of Cortinariaceae. It has a creamy brown cap measuring up to 9 cm in diameter. The foot is fibrous and bulbous and measures from 5–11 cm in height, with a diameter of 0.8 to 1.4 cm. It sprouts in autumn in forests, especially conifer. The species is inedible.

Cortinarius anomalus is a very similar fungus. C. caninus differs by its cap being browner when young and having browner and more strongly developed veil remnants on the stipe. Both species have nearly round spores and a cap cuticle with a layer of enlarged, isodiametric cells just beneath the surface layer of radially arranged hyphae. There is a difficulty with these species in that the concepts have not been well defined. This it is hard to know if our species are the "real thing."

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   3-10 cm in diameter, densely fleshy, initially hemispherical, later convex-spreading, with a lowered edge. The surface of the cap is bare, smooth, matte, sometimes thin-skinned, purple-reddish, sometimes rusty-brownish-red, with remnants of cobwebs on the edge.

2. Hymenophore

   Lamellar. Plates sparse, broad, first purple-brown, later reddish-brown.

3. Spores

   8-9 * 6-8 microns, almost round, with a finely warty surface.

4. Spore Print

   Rusty brown.

5. Stem

   6-10 cm high, 0.8 - 1.2 cm in diameter, cylindrical, first solid, later with a hollow canal, first whitish, later purple at the top, brownish-reddish below, with light lumbar zones.

6. Flesh

   The flesh is whitish, with a purple tinge, without a pronounced odor.

Synonyms

1. Dermocybe canina (Fr.) Wünsche, 1877

2. Cortinarius anomalus subsp. caninus (Fr.) Konrad & Maubl., 1930

3. Cortinarius anomalus var. caninus (Fr.) Maire, 1933

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: James Lindsey (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Photo 2 - Author: James Lindsey (CC BY-SA 2.5)