Cortinarius cinnamomeus - Cinnamon Webcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Cortinarius cinnamomeus is a late summer and autumn species that occurs in coniferous woods as well as under birches on heathland. This inedible species is found mainly in areas of acid soil and often in scattered groups rather than singly.

Few members of the genus Cortinarius are easy to identify, but once you get to know the Cinnamon Webcap it is one of the few that you should be able to recognise from a distance.

Identification guide

	Cap Young caps are convex, later flattening but with a broad umbo. The finely fibrilose caps vary in colour from hazel to olive-brown becoming more rust-brown towards the centre.The thin cap flesh is dirty yellow, often with an olive tinge. Caps expand to between 2 and 7cm diameter at maturity.
	Gills The thin and fairly crowded, adnate gills are at first yellow or ochraceous-orange and later cinnamon. As the spores mature the gills somewhat more rust stained.
Stem	The top of the stipe is pale yellow; the lower part is olive-brown and covered in red-brown fibrils. 3 to 8mm in diameter, stems range from 3 to 9cm tall.
Spore print	Rusty brown.
Odour/taste	Smell faintly of radish; taste bitter.
Habitat	In coniferous woodland; less often found on heathland under birch trees.
Season	August to December.
Occurrence	An infrequent species that occurs in quite large groups in some places.