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Today we are going to talk about a type of inedible mushroom with a toxic effect that is often confused with others in its family. It's about the Cortinarius orellanus. It is also known by other common names such as Deadly Cortinario and Mountain Cortinario. It belongs to the Cortinariaceae family, which is a type of deadly mushroom with a reddish coloration and a good bearing.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, habitat, ecology and possible confusions of the Cortinarius orellanus.
Key features
It is a type of deadly mushroom that is characteristic for having a reddish coloration and the foot with a reddish yellow tone. The hat has a reddish-brown and blood-red color on the blades. It is a type of mushroom with a good bearing that can be seen with the naked eye as you walk. The hat is medium in size and broadly convex at the beginning. It is then when the edges are raised and the gibbous center remains when they begin to mature. This hat usually measures approximately between 6.5 and 9 30 centimeters and has a dry and plush surface.
It has a dark reddish brown or orange-brown color depending on the environment where it grows. Often it can be easily cracked and fine, scrambled flakes appear at the edges. As for the foot, it is robust with a cylindrical shape and a bit radiant. It usually measures between 3.5 and 8 centimeters in length and about 10-18 mm in diameter. Sometimes it can appear with a bulbous base that has a diameter of up to 30 mm. It is dirty white or yellowish white. They have this color when it is young, but as it develops, it acquires a light yellow, ocher yellow or reddish ocher tone.
Its meat is quite thick, compact and tough. It has a brownish ocher yellow color. It has no flavor and a slightly radish smell. Its blades begin to grow under the hat and are quite thick and spaced from each other. They can be up to 12 mm wide and are blood red or dark red at first.
Habitat of the Cortinarius orellanus
This type of mushroom is not very abundant but it is very dangerous. It is developed in ecosystems such as the litter of the beech trees and more rarely in oak and holm oak forests. It can also be found under the leafy trees of some trees such as birch and chestnut trees. It has rarely been found under conifers. It is a type of fungus that can be found both in the mountains and in lower elevations and is widely distributed throughout Europe.
Its appearance occurs at the end of summer as long as they are more humid and at the beginning of autumn. If that year has not had a lot of humidity in summer, it is expected to grow in autumn. Normally, in the habitat where it develops, there is usually a high degree of humidity due to the leafiness of the trees and the large amount of litter on the ground.
Toxicity Cortinarius orellanus
If ingested, it can cause fatal poisoning since it is not edible. The cause of toxicity is quite difficult to establish as it has a very long incubation period. Once we have ingested the Cortinarius orellanus, the first symptoms they usually appear after 3 days with a maximum period of 17 days. As you can see, it is somewhat complex to know if the symptoms you are having is from eating Cortinarius orellanus.
Among the damages that they can cause, we see serious injuries to the kidney to the point of being completely disabled. Many people have undergone surgery to remove the kidney since it is no longer useful because of ingesting this type of mushroom by mistake.
Other symptoms that can be caused by ingestion are the following: tiredness, dry mouth and lips, headaches, mental disorders, burning sensation on the tongue and liver disorders. Fortunately, it is not a very abundant species and, although there is some possible confusion with other mushrooms, it is very easy to recognize if one has previously prepared for the collection of mushrooms.
Possible confusion
As we have mentioned before, its fruiting begins in September or exceptionally in August if the summer has been wet. The peak that is where there are more individuals sitting in the month of November. Already with this time we know that the rest of the months of the year this type of mushroom does not exist. Therefore, the time in which we are going to collect mushrooms is quite determining to be able to make mistakes and eat this type of mushroom.
El Cortinarius orellanus has affinities with the Cortinarius sanguineus and C. cinnabarinus hair these two mushrooms are much weaker and more stylized. They differ mainly in that they have the smallest spores, although they have the same colored foot of the hat. In this way it can be easily differentiated. We have seen that the Cortinarius orellanus the foot is a different color from the hat.
It also has affinities with C. speciossisimus and C. orellanoides, both mushrooms of the same species. These mushrooms have subglobular spores or are broadly almond-shaped. However, the first is more typical of coniferous forests which is where we have mentioned that the Cortinarius orellanus it is very scarce. The second is typical of deciduous forests so it is necessary to be more careful in its confusion. It is a species not too common in Navarra, present in the beech and oak groves of the valleys of Ulzama, Basaburúa and Erro, as well as in the holm oaks of the Middle Occidental area.
As we know, mushroom picking can become a dangerous hobby if you do not go to one previously informed. It is vitally important to know that there are many poisonous mushrooms that have similar aspects to those that are not. Therefore, it is necessary to know very well what type of mushrooms we should collect before going out to search in the forest.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about Cortinarius orellanus and their characteristics.