Cortinarius flexipes explained

Cortinarius flexipes is a fungus, specifically a mushroom, a small brown species in the genus Cortinarius. It is commonly known as the Pelargonium webcap because of its unusual smell of Pelargonium (the household "geranium").

This species of mushroom is found in Europe and North America. It is hygrophanous, and belongs to the Telamonia group, being thin-fleshed and having a dry cap and stipe.

Synonymy

Cortinarius paleaceus (Weinm.) Fr. and Cortinarius paleiferus Svrek (sometimes written C. paleifer[1]) have commonly been identified in Europe as separate species.[1] [2] [3] C. paleiferus is defined as having more widely spaced gills, and has a pale violet mycelium at the base of the stipe. Now these types are combined into one species and considered to be only varieties of C. flexipes.[4]

Description

Cortinarius flexipes cap is up to . It is dark brown but becoming pale fawn on drying, with white hair-like scales especially near the edge. It is more or less pointed in the centre. The stipe is up to about and fibrous, with white bands of veil remnants. Fruitbodies have the smell of Pelargonium (household geranium). The species is inedible.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Courtecuisse, R. & Duhem, B. (1994) "Guide des champignons de France et d'Europe" Delachaux et Niestlé, also available in English.
  2. Book: Meinhard Moser, translated by Simon Plant. Keys to Agarics and Boleti. Roger Phillips. 1983. 0-9508486-0-3.
  3. See also the entry in Index Fungorum for the current name and synonyms.
  4. A. Ortega & F. Esteve-Raventós. Taxonomic studies on Iberian Cortinarius: Some Telamonia species with Pelargonium smell and comments on C. sertipes f. contrarius. Österreichische Zeitschrift für Pilzkunde . 2003 . 12 . 1–11.
  5. Book: Phillips, Roger . Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America . 2010 . Firefly Books . Buffalo, NY . 978-1-55407-651-2 . 188–89.