Content
The brilliant webcap (Cortinarius evernius) belongs to the Cobweb family and is extremely rare in Russia. During wet weather, its cap becomes shiny and becomes covered with transparent mucus, acquiring a glossy sheen, which is why it got its name.
What a brilliant webcap looks like
In accordance with its generic name, the mushroom has the remains of a velum with a spider-like structure. The flesh is tasteless, reddish in color with a slight unpleasant odor.
The spore body of the spider web is of a brilliant brown shade, consists of rare plates adhered to the stem. The spore powder has a rusty brown color. The spores themselves are medium-sized, smooth-walled, oval in shape.
In a young mushroom, the shape is at first sharp-bellied, dark brown with a lilac tint
Description of the hat
The mushroom cap is round in shape, its diameter is about 3-4 cm. With age, it opens, the fields increase, a small tubercle remains in the center. The color ranges from dark brown with a lilac tint to rusty orange.
The plates on the inner side, adhered with a tooth, are wide, have a medium frequency. The color is grayish-brown, later they acquire a chestnut color with a purple tint. The cobweb blanket remains white throughout the growth.
The flesh of the cap is also thin, but dense, has a brown color with a lilac tint
Leg description
The stem of the mushroom has the shape of a cylinder, tapering towards the base. Its length is 5-10 cm, and its diameter is about 0.5-1 cm. The color varies from gray to purple-coffee. White rings are visible along the entire length, which disappear with increased humidity.
Inside, the leg is hollow, smooth and fibrous-silky
Where and how it grows
The most common cobweb is brilliant in the north of the European part of Russia and in the middle zone, it is also found in the Caucasus. The season starts at the end of summer - from the second half of August. Grows in mixed and coniferous forests.
Most often found in mossy places with high humidity: ravines, lowlands or near swamps. Glittering cobwebs grow in small groups of 2-4 mushrooms at the foot of pines and firs. Also found singly under bushes and among fallen leaves
Is the mushroom edible or not
The brilliant webcap belongs to inedible mushrooms. It does not contain any toxic substances and is not hazardous to health, but the unpleasant smell and taste of the pulp make it unsuitable for human consumption.
Doubles and their differences
The brilliant webcap can be easily confused with several more representatives of this species.
Slime webcap (Cortinarius mucifluus) is a conditionally edible species. The diameter of the cap is from 10 to 12 cm. The shape is bell-shaped at first, then it straightens and becomes flat with uneven jagged edges. The leg is fusiform, 15-20 cm long, with a white color. The pulp is creamy, tasteless and odorless.
It differs from the brilliant cobweb in the absence of an unpleasant odor and mucus on the cap, even in dry weather
The webcap is beautiful or reddish (Cortinarius rubellus) - a poisonous mushroom, it belongs to inedible. The length of the leg is 5-12 cm and from 0.5 to 1.5 cm in thickness, it expands downward. It has a brown-orange fibrous surface with light rings along its entire length. The diameter of the cap varies from 4 to 8 cm. The initial shape is conical. Further, it levels out, leaving a small convex mound at the top. The surface is smooth and dry with irregular edges of a brownish-red or brownish-purple color. The pulp is yellow-orange in color, odorless and tasteless.
It differs from the spiderweb of a brilliant rusty-reddish color and a lighter shade of the cap
Conclusion
The brilliant webcap is strictly not recommended to be cut and eaten. Having found it in the forest, you should be extremely careful: other edible spiderwebs can be confused with it. Most often it can be found in forests with a predominance of pines and birches.
