Cortinariaceae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cortinariaceae | |
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| Cortinarius archeri in Tasmania | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Cortinariaceae R. Heim ex Pouzar (1983) |
| Genera | |
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Cortinarius |
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The Cortinariaceae is a large family of gilled mushrooms found worldwide. The family takes its name from its largest genus, the varied cortinars of the genus Cortinarius. Other notable genera include Hebeloma ,Gymnopilus, Galerina and Inocybe. Several genera, such as the skin-heads (Dermocybe) and Rozites appear to lie within Cortinarius as it now stands.
The deadly toxin orellanine has been found in at least 34 Cortinariaceae. The equally deadly toxin amanitin has also been found in at least 7 Cortinariaceae. [1]
[edit] Taxonomic details
This is a family of mushrooms which has a hymenium on gills, a pileipellis which is a cutis, and spores which are brown in deposit. For most the genera in this family the spores will also be ornamented.
[edit] Differences in genera
Cortinarius are mushrooms with warted spores, which are rusty-brown in deposit. Mushrooms in this genus have a partial veil which is a cortina. These mushrooms are terrestrial and mycorrhizal, and can range from small to large and fleshy.
Galerina are mushrooms with ornamented spores, where the ornamentation comes from a spore covering the breaks up on maturity. These mushrooms are small, and Mycena-like, and are saprotrophic on mosses, grass and wood.
Gymnopilus are mushrooms with warted spores, which are orange-brown in deposit and are saprotrophic on wood. The caps of these will have a dry surface.
Hebeloma are mushrooms with dull brown colors, lightly warted (almost smooth) spores that are brown in deposit (not rusty-brown). These mushrooms will be terrestrial and mycorrhizal, and can range from small to large and fleshy just like Cortinarius, but are separated by always having cap with a gelatinous surface, the presence of cheilocystidia, and the absence of pleurocystidia.
Inocybe are mushrooms with a dry silky, radially fibrous cap surface, and spores with are nodulose or ellipsoid smooth and brown in deposit. These mushrooms will be terrestrial and mycorrhizal, and most tend to be small, with only a few that are large and fleshy.
Naucoria are mushrooms with warted spores, where the spores are lemon-shaped with pointed warts. These mushrooms tend to be small and non-descript little brown jobs.
Phaeocollybia are mushrooms that are umbonate with long rooting stipes, and spores that are brown in deposit. These are associated with the roots of trees (different trees for different species).
[edit] Edibility
Despite the vast amount of amount of species in Cortinariaceae, this group is not widely eaten, and is generally avoided. There are many toxic species in this group and few are highly prized. The Galerina family in particular contains various species are deadly poisonous, containing alpha-amanitin, like the death cap(Amanita phalloides) and the fool's mushroom (Amanita verna).
Cortinarius is one of the largest mushroom families, but due to the large amount of inedible and toxic species, most authors recommend not eating any cortinarius. At one point, the polish ate the fool's webcap, Cortinarius orellanus, until, people began to get poisoned from eating the mushroom. It is now known that several cortinarius species contain a deadly toxin, orellanine, which causes kidney failure. Most cortinarius are either too small or unpleasant-tasting to eat, but some, such as the Gypsy(Cortinarius caperatus) and the large and tasty Cortinarius praestans are highly esteemed, but some mycologists believe that no cortinarius should be eaten.
There are no good edibles from the Hebeloma, Inocybe and Gymnopilus families, and poisonings from the former 2 are mainly from mistaken identity, and the latter is consumed for its hallucigenic effects, but one species, the showy flamecap (Gymnopilus spectabilis), is said to be able to cause serious poisoning.
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