Deadly Webcap

CortinariaceaeDeadly Poisonous

FamilyCortinariaceae

EdibilityDeadly Poisonous

HabitatMossy pine and birch

SeasonAutumn

About the Deadly Webcap

Cortinarius rubellus, a cinnamon toned mushroom whose orellanine silently destroys the kidneys, with symptoms delayed by days or even weeks. There is no antidote. The writer Nicholas Evans survived poisoning by this species in Scotland in 2004; several family members needed kidney transplants. Brown mushrooms with rusty spores are for experts only.

Related Species

Gypsy Mushroom

Edible (cook well)Autumn

Cortinarius caperatus, a tan wrinkled cap long placed in its own genus Rozites b...

Cortinariaceae · Pine and birch forests