Contents
Cobweb dirty, straight, oiled, blue-barreled – the names of one species, in biological reference books – Cortinarius collinitus. Lamellar fungus of the spider web family.
Plates light brown with dark patches
Description of the cobweb staining
A species unfamiliar to mushroom pickers that is not popular. Outwardly, it resembles inedible mushrooms, so it is rarely seen among the harvested crop. The color of the fruiting body is variable. At the initial stage of development – brown with a reddish tinge, then becomes closer to a yellow-orange color. In mature specimens it brightens to beige with a yellowish tint.
The upper part of the blue-barrel cobweb is much darker than the lower
Cap Description
The cobweb is medium in size, the diameter of the cap in adult specimens reaches 10 cm. The color of the central part is dark, the edges are lighter. In a young cobweb, longitudinal asymmetrically arranged stripes can be observed.
External characteristic:
- at the beginning of growth, the shape of the cap is bell-shaped with a tight-fitting veil;
- in more mature fruiting bodies, it becomes convex with a clear tubercle in the center;
- in the final stage of vegetation, the cap becomes prostrate with concave even or slightly wavy edges;
- the dense cover is torn, remains in the lower part in the form of a grayish cobweb;
- the surface is even in young mushrooms, finely tuberculate in adult specimens;
- the protective film is mucous, dries out at low humidity, becomes hard matte;
- the plates are tightly fixed, the arrangement is not dense, in young specimens their color is light with a bluish tint, then they darken to brown.
The pulp is dense whitish without a pronounced smell.
The surface is sticky, often with particles of fallen leaves or twigs.
Description of the leg
The leg is solid inside in young specimens, hollow in mature ones. Cylindrical, 10 cm high, 2 cm wide. Central upright, slightly curved at the top. Thinner at the base than near the cap. With obvious remains of spathe and descending blades at the beginning of the growing season. Near the mycelium, the leg is painted in ocher color. Often on its surface, especially in dry weather, scaly rings of a darker color are determined.
The surface is smooth mucous, the main tone is white with a grayish or bluish tint.
Where and how to grow
The soiling cobweb is not a rare species, it is widespread in the central regions, Siberia, the European part, the Urals. It occurs in the Far East, but much less frequently. Forms a symbiosis only with aspens, so it can grow in any type of forest where this tree species is found. Fruiting is medium late – from July to September, grows singly or scattered in small groups.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Staining cobweb is an edible mushroom of the fourth category. The fruiting body is odorless and tasteless.
Twins and their differences
The twins of the staining cobweb include the peacock cobweb. More common in the European part, creates mycorrhiza with beech. The surface of the cap is coarse-scaly brick-colored. The leg is colored unevenly, dark brown fragments predominate. The species is inedible with toxic compounds in the chemical composition.
There are no remains of the bedspread, the flesh turns yellow on the cut
Conclusion
The cobweb staining is an edible mushroom, odorless and tasteless. Suitable for all cooking methods, but pre-heat treatment is required. Fruiting from late summer to September.
