Webcap
ExploreFungi
Webcap
Cortinarius
The Webcap is a mushroom that can be tricky to identify. It's best to be cautious around it!
Habitat: Forests
Appearance
The Webcap is a diverse mushroom, often featuring a cap ranging from browns to oranges or even purples. Its distinguishing characteristic is a delicate, web-like veil (cortina) connecting the cap to the stalk when young, which often leaves rust-brown spore remnants on the stem.
KingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderAgaricalesFamilyCortinariaceae
Category
FungiRarity
Epic
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Snaps
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Interesting facts
Eating certain Webcaps can cause serious kidney damage days later, making them very dangerous!
Some Webcaps are named for their beautiful, vibrant cap colors, like purple or even blue!
The Webcap genus, Cortinarius, is one of the largest mushroom groups, with thousands of species!
The web-like veil, called a cortina, often disappears completely as the mushroom grows older!
Special abilities
Ability
Root Whisperer
Webcaps can form special partnerships with tree roots, sharing nutrients like a secret handshake that helps both the fungus and the tree grow strong.
Ability
Veil Guardian
Webcaps have a distinctive web-like veil (cortina) that protects their developing gills, like a delicate spiderweb guarding the mushroom's secrets.
Ability
Toxic Shield
Webcaps can produce toxins like orellanine to protect themselves from being eaten, making them dangerous for animals that try to snack on them.
Measurements & details
- Height
- 3-15 cm
- Edibility
- poisonous
- Cap Diameter
- 2-10 cm
- Growth Substrate
- soil
- Season
- Fall
- Spore Color
- Rust brown
Ecological connections
symbiotic with
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Forms beneficial partnerships with tree roots.
symbiotic with
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica
Exchanges nutrients with this broadleaf tree.
eaten by
Black Slug
Arion ater
Slugs might sometimes graze on Webcap mushrooms.
Traits
Deciduous
Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
Spore Producing
Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
Forest
Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
Poisonous
Poisonous organisms produce toxins that can cause harm when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through contact.
Also known as
Webcap Mushroom
Collections
Safety
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Do not pick or eat anything you find. Some plants and mushrooms can be harmful.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Webcap?
3-15 cm
Is Webcap edible?
poisonous
How big is Webcap?
2-10 cm
Where is Webcap usually found?
Forests
What does Webcap grow on?
soil
When is Webcap in season?
Fall
What color are Webcap spores?
Rust brown
Snap Map
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Recent Snaps
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