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Cortinariales Gallery

The order Cortinariales contains the families Cortinariaceae and Crepidotaceae; the former includes fungi from the genera Cortinarius, Hebeloma, Gymnopilus and Inocybe. (Note that some classification systems put the Bolbitiaceae and Strophariaceae into the order Cortinariales. Following the Kew Classification System wherever practicable, we have put them into a separate Strophariaceae and relatives section.)

Larger pictures, identification guides and a wealth of information on these and hundreds of other species are contained on the First-Nature CD-ROM Guide to Fungi.

The Cortinariales order is vast, comprising over 3000 species in Europe and very many more world-wide. (There are some 600 European fungi in the Cortinarius genus alone.) It is also a most difficult group to categorise: many of the species can vary greatly in size and colours, making microscopic examination a necessary step in precise identification.

 

A partial veil covers the gills of young fruit bodies. The veil, which joins the edge of the cap to the stem, consists of fine cobweb-like strands and is termed a 'cortina'. In some species the cortina is fleeting, while in many others it remains intact until the fruit body nears maturity. When the veil breaks, the cortina often clings to the stem and catches falling spores; in so doing a rusty ring is formed around the stem, and the shape of this ring can help in identifying certain Cortinarius species.

The Cortinariales leave brown spore prints.
  Strophariaceae and Bolbitiaceae also include many species that have a cortina-like partial veil in the early stage of fruit body development. Shown here is Pholiota squarrosa.

Following, where it is practicable to do so, the Kew Classification System, we have included the Strophariaceae and Bolbitiaceae in a separate  Strophariaceae and relatives section rather than including them here with the true Cortinariales.

Very few Cortinarius species are valued as edible fungi and several are known to be deadly poisonous. In view of the identification difficulties with this group of fungi, most people who collect wild mushrooms for food prefer to steer well clear of all Cortinariales.

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