Cortinarius sanguineus - Bloodred Webcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

The blood-red colour of both the cap and the gills fully justify the common name of this fairly common webcap. It is readily distinguished from the closely-related Cortinarius semisanguineus (the specific epithet means half blood-red because the latter has blood-red gills beneath a pale olive-brown cap - hence its common name the Surprise Webcap.

The Bloodred Webcap is found mainly in coniferous woodland and particularly in dark, damp and mossy forests.

Identification guide

Cap	2 to 5cm across, broadly convex, usually with a shallow broad umbo at maturity, deep blood-red; covered in radiating silky fibrils.
Gills	The adnate gills are moderately spaced and blood red, turning red-brown with age.
Stem	Similar to cap colour, becoming paler towards the base; cylindrical, but slightly swollen towards base; 3 to 8cm long, 7 to 11mm dia.
Spore print	Rusty brown.
Odour/taste	Not significant.
Habitat	In coniferous woodland.
Season	August to November.
Occurrence	A fairly common webcap in many areas, from the New Forest in southern England to the Caledonian Forest in Scotland.
Similar species	Cortinarius semisanguineus, the Surprise Webcap, has blood-red gills but its cap is pale.