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Goat’s cobweb – a representative of the genus Cobweb, belongs to the category of inedible and poisonous mushrooms. Known by several names: Cortinarius traganus, stinky or goat web. The species definition was due to a sharp specific smell.
What does a goat web look like
A rather large mushroom with a purple color at the beginning of growth, in more mature specimens the color brightens, acquires a bluish tint. A distinctive feature is the presence of a purple, dense, in the form of a web, common velum that completely covers young specimens.
Over time, the coverlet tears, forming rings on the stem and flakes along the edge of the cap.
Cap Description
As it matures, the shape of the cap changes. In young specimens, it is rounded with concave edges, tightly covered with a veil. Then the velum breaks, the shape becomes hemispherical, in adult specimens it opens completely.
In the photo, the goat web is at the beginning of growth and during the ripening period, the description of the fruiting body is as follows:
- cap diameter – 3-10 cm;
- the surface is velvety, unevenly colored, the central part is darker, cracking is possible;
- the lamellar layer is lilac, as the spores mature, it becomes light brown;
- the plates are frequent, long, well fixed to the lower part, shorter ones in the form of rudiments are located along the edge of the cap.
The pulp is dense, pale purple, thick.
Among the people, the goat web is compared with the specific aroma of a goat of reproductive age.
Description of the leg
The leg of the goat’s cobweb is thick, solid. Near the mycelium there is a pronounced tuberous thickening.
The shape is cylindrical. The surface is flat with the remains of the bedspread. The color is a tone lighter than the cap, at the site of maturation of the spores, the areas acquire a dark yellow tint. Leg height – up to 10 cm.
Where and how to grow
The fruiting period of the goat’s cobweb is from the beginning of summer to October. It grows in mixed forests, where pines are found, in coniferous massifs. Settles on moss litter in shaded damp places. Distributed throughout Europe. In Our Country, it occurs in the boreal climate zone. The main accumulation is in the Murmansk, Sverdlovsk, Yaroslavl regions, and is also found in the Leningrad region. Grows singly or in small groups.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
This representative belongs to inedible poisonous mushrooms. Information about the toxicity of the chemical composition is contradictory. But in the case of this representative, the assessment of the degree of toxicity does not play a role. The fruiting body has such a specific repulsive smell that it is simply impossible to use. With heat treatment, this only intensifies.
Twins and their differences
Camphor cobwebs are considered similar in appearance to the cobweb smelly.
Outwardly, the species are absolutely identical, the time and place of fruiting are also the same. They differ only in smell, in a double it resembles camphor. Refers to inedible mushrooms.
The cobweb is white-violet lighter in color, the veil is completely white.
Rarely found in coniferous forests. Mostly grows under birch. The smell is unpleasant, but less pronounced. The mushroom is conditionally edible.
Conclusion
Goat web is an inedible poisonous species with an unpleasant chemical odor that intensifies during processing. Grows in temperate climates (from June to October) in mixed or coniferous arrays. It settles in families mainly under pine trees on a moss pillow.
