Cortinarius semisanguineus - Surprise Webcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

The pale colour of both cap and stem lead you to expect the gills to be pallid. Not so! The gills are blood red - hence the rather fanciful common name given recently to this species. (The specific epithet semisanguineus means half blood-red; a related species, Cortinarius sanguineus, has blood-red cap and gills and is known as the Bloodred Webcap).

The Surprise Webcap is found mainly in coniferous forests, but occasionally it also occurs in deciduous woodland under birches.

Identification guide

Cap	Yellow or pale olive-brown; convex, flattening with a distinct umbo; surface dry with fine fibrils or tiny scales; 3 to 6cm across.
Gills	The adnate gills are close and blood red, turning red-brown with age.
Stem	Olive-yellow with pale brown fibrils; cylindrical, often curved; 4 to 9cm long, 0.5 to 1.2cm dia.
Spore print	Rusty brown.
Odour/taste	Odour and taste slight, when cut or crushed, of radish.
Habitat	In coniferous woodland; sometimes also under birches.
Season	August to October.
Occurrence	A fairly common webcap in many areas.
Similar species	Cortinarius sanguineus, the Bloodred Webcap, has a blood-red cap as well as blood-red gills.