Large spider web mushroom. Spider mushrooms and their varieties. Description of spider web species

Kira Stoletova

One of the most common types of mushrooms in the temperate zone is the spider web mushroom. It belongs to the group of conditionally edible mushrooms. The genus Cobweb from the cobweb family of the same name is dangerous because there are poisonous varieties.

Appearance

The mushroom got its name because of the white “skirt” that falls down the stem and resembles a spider’s web. Popular name“Marshlander” does not reflect the range of the species, although sometimes it is an absolutely swamp resident. It grows in all types of forests in a variety of soils. This is an autumn genus, with peak growth occurring in late August and early September.

Species of Cobwebs are similar to each other in a number of ways:

1. Cylindrical leg with extension downwards.
2. Remains of a private web-like covering on the upper part of the leg.
3. Hat, usually conical or flat shape, with records.
4. The pulp is dense and fragrant.

The species of cobwebs differ in the color of the stem and cap, and the smell of the pulp. Among them there are both edible and poisonous representatives.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

The name of the Arachnoid family was given by a French mycologist and plant pathologist. tropical plants Jean Aime Roger (1900-1979), who proceeded from the specific structure of the private bedspread, consisting of spider fibers connecting the edge of the cap to the stem.

Most arachnoids are mycorrhiza-formers, the life processes of which are associated with certain tree species. Among the spider webs there are deadly poisonous specimens. However, there are also useful, edible species. However, they are few in number and do not have much practical significance. Characteristic feature The genus Cobweb is the different colors of young and mature specimens, the presence of a rapidly disappearing purple pigment in many species.

By the way. The genus Cobweb is divided into subgenera that have their own specific characteristics, for example:

• subgenus Myxsacium: there is a common mucous blanket that causes the cap and stalk to be mucous.
• subgenus Phlegmacium: a mucous cap is present.
• subgenera Hydrocybe And Telamonia: the cap is hygrophanous.
• subgenera Dermocybe And Inoloma: the cap is dry, scaly, fibrous.

Types of mushroom

The genus includes about 25 species. They differ in taste and degree of safety for humans. Some are listed in the Red Book.

Edible species

• Edible cobweb, or bbw: The species lives in coniferous plantations. The cap is white-gray, the surface is watery. The pulp is dense and has a faint mushroom smell. The plates are frequent and adhere to the cap. Edible cobweb is a type of mushroom often found in coniferous forests temperate zone. In Russia it is found in the European part. You can also find it in Belarus.

The edible cobweb is characterized by a smooth, dense, whitish-brown leg, in the middle (located in the center) there are remnants of the cortina (private web cover), which disappear with age. The length of the leg is usually 2-3 cm with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm, which sharply distinguishes this species from other representatives of the genus.

• Cobweb watery blue, or dove blue: this type in Russia it is known only in Primorye. However, it is widespread in North America and the countries of the European continent.

1. The cap is uniformly colored blue-gray, diameter up to 10 cm.
2. The smell is unpleasant, musty.
3. The taste is fresh.
4. There is no tuber-shaped thickening on the stem.

It grows under various deciduous trees, but more often under beech and oak. Growth is more group or colonial. Also, adult individuals lack the remains of the veil.

The species of triumphal cobweb is also considered edible. But due to its reduced taste, it should be classified as conditionally edible.

Conditionally edible

The difference between this group and edibles is that conditionally edibles require pre-processing. They should not be eaten raw; it is not recommended to eat them fried without prior soaking.

• Triumphal cobweb, or yellow has the following characteristics:

1. The cap reaches 7-12 cm in diameter, is brownish in the center and orange-yellow at the edges. The shape is flat or pillow-like. Usually the surface is sticky.
2. The pulp has a pleasant smell.
3. In young mushrooms, the “web” completely covers the plates. With age, the plates darken to a brownish color.
4. The diameter of the stem is 1 cm. Large fruiting bodies have a stem up to 3 cm in diameter. Height up to 15 cm.

This species lives in deciduous forests. They find it under birch and oak trees. Often accompanied by milk mushrooms.

• Slime cobweb: The main difference from other species is the presence of mucus that abundantly covers the cap. Individuals grow large - up to 12 cm in diameter of the cap, the corresponding leg is up to 20 cm in length.

The pulp of this species is odorless and tasteless. Color varies from white to cream. The mushroom is found in coniferous and mixed forests.

Attention! Do not confuse the slimy spider web species with the slimy spider web species.

• Slimy cobweb: the cap is covered with a mucous cobwebby blanket. The mucus is thick and sometimes even hangs from the uneven edges of the cap. The cap is thinner at the edges than in the center. The color ranges from orange to dark brown. The pulp is white, loose. It is also distinguished by the smaller size of the fruiting bodies. The species is characterized by the formation of mycorrhiza with pine plantings.
• The web spider is excellent: its feature is appearance hats and legs. In adults, the cap is similar to a bell, rich brown or brown in color. The diameter of the cap is up to 20 cm. The stem is long, clearly expanding downward from a cylinder into a cone. The surface of the fruiting body is soft and velvety. In adult mushrooms, they become wrinkled. A thin violet-gray stripe remains along the edges of the cap. The pulp is white or mixed with blue. It has a pleasant smell and taste. Fruiting species in large groups, more often found near birch or beech trees. Prefers deciduous forests. By the way. This is a little studied species.
• Bracelet web, or red: distinguished by the red or reddish-brown color of the cap. There is no mucus on it. The pulp has a characteristic musty odor. Prefers damp and mossy places. Found in mycorrhiza with pine or birch trees. The bracelet cobweb is identified by the bright “bracelets” on the stem left from the cobweb cover (cortina) and by the dark fibers on the cap.
• Purple cobweb: got its name because of the peculiarity of the pulp. When cut, it acquires a purple color, but when whole it is usually bluish or gray. The surface of the cap is sticky. The characteristics of young and adult individuals differ significantly:

1. In adults, the cap is flat, slightly concave at the edges. The plates are frequent, with a purple tint. The diameter of the cap is up to 15 cm. The stem is long, with a tuber at the very bottom. The color of the stem is purple, and the cap is olive, brown or brownish with impurities.
2. Young individuals have a spherical cap that practically merges with the stem. The leg itself is barrel-shaped.

• Gossamer webwort: differs from other brethren in the whitish color of the legs with a bluish or pinkish tint. The cap is light brown in color and prefers deciduous forests. The musty smell of the pulp is faint.
• Variable cobweb: received its name due to the change in color during growth. In adults and mature individuals, the colors of the legs and caps are different. A more common name is “multi-colored mushroom.” Usually the fruiting bodies are small, with an elongated stalk. The cap is brown or golden along the edge and lowered. The plates are light purple. There is a brownish-red stripe on the stem. In old mushrooms, the plates turn pale and turn brown. The leg is usually white or cream in color. The species bears fruit mainly in the south and east in deciduous plantations.

Poisonous species

• Poisonous cobweb: This species is found as often as the edible cobweb. It is precisely because of the abundance of dangerous doubles that the edible type of mushroom does not attract even a knowledgeable mushroom picker.
• Blue-banded cobweb: it is dangerous because its appearance is practically no different from an edible fruit. A hat with a bump in the center, gray and brown. Its lower concave edge has a purple or blue stripe. The pulp is odorless and tasteless. It also forms mycorrhiza with coniferous trees. Inedible.
• Common spiderwort: characterized by a brown or golden color of the cap. It has a cone-shaped shape, the edge is uneven, and the surface is mucous. The plates may be uneven. Common cobwebs often have spiral-shaped bands on the stalk, which distinguish the poisonous fruiting body from the edible one.
• The most beautiful cobweb: is a deadly poisonous species, it has a uniform brownish or reddish-orange color. The legs are long, and the caps are cone-shaped with uneven, torn edges. There is a protruding tubercle in the center of the cap. The most beautiful cobweb usually grows in groups.
• Goat's web, or goat, or smelly: bright blue or gray color, sometimes more blue. A peculiarity of the species is the presence of the chemical odor of acetone or a “goat” odor. The hat and leg are the same color. The smell only intensifies with heat treatment. Goat's web grows in the same coniferous and mossy forests.
• Lazy cobweb: has a characteristic cap color - reddish with crimson splashes. It grows in groups in symbiosis with birch and pine. Often the cap and stem are crooked, twisted or broken, with cracks. It is the irregularities and color that distinguish the species Lazy Spider from edible mushrooms.

• Cobweb spider brilliant: the cap has a bright yellow or ocher color. The color of the pulp when cut is lemon, does not darken. The plates of adults are greenish. The cap is covered with mucus. The toxin in the pulp acts slowly, so poisoning will not be immediately noticeable.
• Mountain spiderwort, or plush, or orange-red: a rare species characterized by the following characteristics:

1. Outwardly it looks like a beautiful spider web, but it deceives with its pleasant radish smell and good taste.
2. Danger of the species - poisoning appears 3 days after consumption.
3. It has a uniform, even color of orange or light brown. The surface is soft and velvety.

Identifying an inedible species is not easy, so don't risk taking a nice-smelling fruiting body into your basket.

• Scaly cobweb: looks similar to the edible species. It is distinguished by its brownish-brown color and scales. dark brown on the hat. There is a dark spot in the center of the cap. The stalk also has dark brown scales, often at the bottom. The smell is weak but pleasant.

The following types of spider webs are also considered inedible:

• p. chestnut (saffron);
• n. soiling;
• n. most elegant;
• n. membranous;
• n. most special.

Inedible species destroy the kidneys with their toxins, resulting in intoxication of the body.

Beneficial features

They are limited to standard indicators for mushrooms. This is the presence of protein, vitamins and microelements in the fruiting bodies. They contain more vitamins A and group B than fruits and vegetables.

Contraindications

Even edible mushrooms are contraindicated:

1. Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 7-8 years old.
2. People with a weak stomach, intestines, suffering from various abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract.
3. People with individual intolerance.

You cannot eat edible mushrooms collected within the city and near busy highways, factories, and the private sector.

Application

Cooking

Edible spider web mushrooms are considered a delicacy; they have a wonderful nutty taste. Tolstushka is delicious fried or stewed with sour cream or cream. Decoctions from the plum are used to make broth. The edible fruiting bodies are also pickled and dried, but this can result in the loss of much of the flavor.

The excellent cobweb is dried or pickled only after long soaking and boiling. Young specimens are suitable for pickling and salting. For your information. The shiny coating on the cap of the purple cobweb species disappears when dried.

Medicine

Used to obtain probiotics and extract valuable microelements. In industry, dyes are extracted from colored fruiting bodies. The species cannot be used in home medicine.

This mushroom can be called beautiful thanks to the delicate and beautiful shade of the cap. Gossamer blue - enough rare view, which in Russia grows in only one subject of the country. Where is it found and what does it look like?

Blue web spider (Cortinarius caerulescens) – close-up view family Pautinnikov, belonging to the genus Pautinnikov. This conditional edible mushroom belongs to the lamellar group. It also has other names:

• blue-gray webweed;
• bluish cobweb;
• Blue web spider.

The species also has Latin synonyms: Phlegmacium caerulescens, Cortinarius cumatilis and Cortinarius cyanus.

• the cap is in the shape of a hemisphere in young fruiting bodies, then spread out or slightly convex, fleshy and large, with a diameter of 4-10 cm. The color of the surface is variable - in young mushrooms it has a blue or purple tint with a brownish center and shading closer to the edge, then the cap becomes light -brown with a blue border. The skin is shiny, fibrous to the touch;
• The stem relative to the cap is high (from 3 to 10 cm long) and thin (from 6 to 25 mm thick), in the lower part it thickens and becomes tuberous, with a diameter of about 4 cm. The threads of the private bedspread have a purple hue. The leg is first bluish-violet, and then dirty brown, often completely colored to match the cap. The tuberous base has a yellowish-whitish tint;
• the flesh is grayish-blue or fawn, has an unpleasant odor and a fresh or slightly sweet taste;
• the plates are wide, quite frequent, notched and adherent to the stem, at first they are colored cream with a purple tint, and over time they darken to brown;
• The spores are warty, almond-shaped, rusty-brown in color.

Places of distribution and fruiting period

The bluish cobweb is found in the forests of North America and Europe, and in Russia it grows in the Primorsky Territory. They grow in coniferous and deciduous forest belts. The species prefers calcareous soils. The fungus is a mycorrhiza-former with oak, beech and other representatives of the deciduous group.

The hero of the article usually grows in small groups, but can also be found in a single copy. It can be found in the summer starting in August and in the fall throughout September.

Similar species and how to distinguish them from them

The dove-blue cobweb has a striking resemblance in appearance to a certain group of mushrooms. For example, it has a lot in common with the conditionally edible watery blue (Cortinarius cumatilis) - for a long time these two species were even combined into one. But the latter is distinguished by a cap that is uniformly colored in gray-blue color, and also does not have a private cover and thickening in the lower part of the stem.

Cortinarius mairei, which has white plates, is also similar to Cortinarius caerulescens. And you can distinguish the hero of the article from the Terpsichore web spider (Cortinarius terpsichores) by the more uniform coloring of the cap. Cortinarius cyaneus and Cortinarius volvatus have a certain resemblance to blue. The first is distinguished by the remnants of a blanket on a darker cap and radially arranged fibers on it. And the second has more modest sizes and a dark blue color. Sometimes the blue one can be confused with the white-violet web spider (Cortinarius alboviolaceus), whose cap is white-violet in color and its surface is smooth and silky.

There is no data regarding the edibility of most similar species, but it is worth remembering that most spider webs are poisonous and also inedible representatives of the fungal kingdom. Therefore, blue ones must be collected with extreme caution.

Primary processing and preparation

The hero of the article is a little-known mushroom, which is considered conditionally edible and is classified in category IV. You can serve the blue-gray spider web by frying it. But remember that before doing this, the mushroom must be boiled for 25 minutes. It is also dried or pickled, in which case it turns black.

This mushroom is quite rare, and not every mushroom picker will be lucky enough to find it. But, nevertheless, if you find a blue web, you can safely put it in the basket. Just make sure it's really him first. If there is even a slight doubt about whether a mushroom belongs to a certain species, it is better to leave it to continue growing in the forest.

Have you heard of such a mushroom as cobweb? And it turns out that it is deadly poisonous! Detailed information you will find in the article.

The most beautiful cobweb - a deadly poisonous mushroom

A photo of the mushroom in question is presented to your attention in the article. The most beautiful cobweb (reddish) - is of the genus Cobweb, family Cobweb family. Popularly it is also called the marsh plant. They should not be eaten either raw or cooked, because the toxins they contain can cause kidney failure. This genus consists of at least 40 species. Some are considered poisonous, some are edible, and some are considered edible. In appearance, these mushrooms are quite similar, which is why they are often confused. This suggests that it is better not to collect them without proper knowledge about cobwebs and mushrooms in general. And in order to decide to eat such a mushroom, you need to be 100% sure what type of spider web you found.

Until the 1950s, it was believed that these mushrooms could be eaten. And only as a result of a large number of incidents of poisoning with orange-red cobwebs, and later with beautiful cobwebs, registered in 1957, it was decided to classify these mushrooms as deadly poisonous. These two species are the most toxic.

Appearance

The width of the cap ranges from 4 to 9 cm, starting from a conical shape, flowing into a flat, prostrate shape, with a tubercle in the center. The outer layer is dry, matte with a velvety and fibrous structure. The color is reddish-orange or reddish-brown, the central part is darker. Does not increase in size upon contact with water.

The plates are planted infrequently, they are wide and thick. At first the color matches the cap, then changes to reddish-brown. Young mushrooms have a cobweb-like cover of yellow-ocher color.

The leg is cylindrical, increasing or tapering at the base, while its length is 60-100 mm and thickness 4-10 mm. On the fibrous coating you can find curved bands of a barely yellow tint.

The pulp is light orange or yellow-brown in color with a bad odor.

The spore trail is reddish-brown in color. Their dimensions are 8-8.5 microns, their shape is wide elliptical or almost spherical, with a warty outer layer. Cheilocystids are practically never found.

Where does it grow

The most beautiful spider web - deadly poisonous mushroom, which is found in numerous regions in Europe. In our areas they grow in central regions, as well as in the northern part. You can see such mushrooms in mountainous areas, on the slopes of hills. They are quite rare.

How it grows

This mushroom grows most in oak and also old coniferous forests, where mild sandy soil. Damp spruce forests with green sphagnum mosses are also favorable for growth.

Toxic spores can be dispersed to other areas by air flow and tactile contact. Mycorrhiza forms with spruce.

Fruits from July until the first frost occurs. Near clusters of the most beautiful spiderwort you can find others of this genus.

The most beautiful cobweb - a deadly poisonous mushroom: types

In our territories you can find up to 40 species of mushrooms of this genus, and only 2 of them are edible. Some of them are so dangerous that they are equated to The vast majority of mushrooms are simply inedible.

Only specialists can find the difference among all these types, which means that it is better to avoid them.

Similar species

Mountain cobweb is another poisonous mushroom, the consumption of which can be fatal. The width of its cap is 30-80 mm, at first it is convex, and when the mushroom ages, its shape becomes flat, with a flat tubercle located in the central part. The outer layer is dry. The color varies from yellow-brown to reddish-brown. The height of the leg is 40-90 mm, and its width is 10-20 mm. It's narrower at the bottom. The surface of the cap and stem is fibrous.

Edible cobweb is a type of mushroom that can be eaten. His middle name is fatty. Its 50-80 mm cap has a dense, fleshy structure with edges turned toward the ground. With the flow life cycle, it takes on a flat, slightly depressed shape. Its color is grayish-white and its surface is moist. The leg has a height of 20-30 mm and a width of 15-20 mm, it is dense, without bends.

Slime cobweb is a conditionally edible mushroom. It should not be confused with the mucous cobweb. The hat has a diameter of 100-120 mm. At first it has a bell-shaped shape, which over time becomes flat with a curved edge. The color of the cap varies between yellowish, brown and brown. The entire mushroom is covered with mucus. The leg reaches 200 mm in length, it resembles a spindle. Its color is white, with a bluish tint. On the stem you can find particles in the form of lumps and rings.

There is another one similar deadly poisonous species- brilliant spider web. It is quite rare. It is very easy to recognize by its bright yellow cap covered with mucus. Found in coniferous forests.

The beautiful cobweb (a deadly poisonous mushroom, similar species of which were presented to your attention above) can also be confused with some edible mushrooms. These are purple hygrophorus, camphor milkweed and a species of honey fungus - armillaria glubnieva. The main difference between the poisonous mushroom and the honey fungus is the presence of ocher belts and red plates on its stem - in the honey mushroom they are white or light yellow.

Classification

What else is known about such a mushroom as the beautiful cobweb? Deadly poisonous which includes the following basic data:

• Overkingdom - Eukaryotes.
• Kingdom - Mushrooms.
• Sub-kingdom - Higher mushrooms.
• Department - Basidiomycetes.
• Subsection - Agaricomycotina.
• Class - Agaricomycetes.
• Subclass - Agariaceae.
• Family - Cobwebs.
• Rod - Cobweb.
• Subgenus - Leprocybe.
• View - The most beautiful spider web.
• World scientific name: Cortinarius rubellus Cooke.

Toxic substances

The most beautiful cobweb is a rare, deadly poisonous mushroom that contains a very strong toxin, a complex polypeptide - orellan. It does not lose its toxic properties after processing high temperatures, placing it in a different acidic environment and drying it. Toxicity is greatly reduced only under the influence of ultraviolet and solar radiation. This mushroom contains 7.5 mg of orellanine for every 1 g of dried mushrooms.

Experts believe that in addition to orellanine, mushrooms contain two additional polypeptides - cortinarine A and B, which determine the totality of manifestations in the form of patient complaints. The combined presence of these 3 components was revealed only in 2 species of mushrooms of this family: the beautiful cobweb (reddish) and the orange-red.

Main symptoms and how quickly they appear

Thanks to a large number Research has determined that the main organ that is affected by orellanin is the kidneys. Due to its combined effects with metabolites, free radicals arise in the epithelial cells of the kidneys, destruction of cell membranes occurs, suppression of alkaline phosphatase and protein production, as well as damage to the structure of RNA and DNA.

Even a small amount of the product can cause harm to the body. 40 g of freshly picked mushrooms consumed as food can lead to death. That is why, to save your life, it is recommended not to pay attention to the brown-red cobwebs, and not to collect suspicious mushrooms at all.

The clinical picture of orellan syndrome largely depends on personal susceptibility to the toxin. In case of spider web poisoning, there are four stages of the disease.

The particular danger of orellanine poisoning is that symptoms resulting from its entry into the body can appear only after a long time, when it is already too late, and everyone will happily forget about eating mushrooms. There are cases when symptoms appear after 7-14 days. During poisoning, the patient may experience nausea, a huge need to drink, a feeling of dryness and burning in the mouth, vomiting, and pain in the abdominal area. This condition can last from 1 to 2 weeks. If you do not seek help in a timely manner, death is possible. IN special cases When the patient’s condition is very serious, death can occur even 5 months after consuming the poisonous mushroom.

In the case of a short lethal stage, within 2-3 days, acute renal failure is formed with a prolonged oligoanuric stage. Children and the elderly suffer the most from the disease.

If nephropathy persists for quite a long time, then in 30-50% of cases it will be followed by the formation of a chronic form of renal failure.

Spiderworts are edible mushrooms that grow in all types of forests. They can even be eaten raw; these mushrooms are no less tasty after heat treatment, and also in salted form. Cobwebs got their name because of the white “veil” that wraps the lower part of the cap and falls down the stem. You need to go to the forest for all varieties of cobwebs at the very end of summer and you can collect them until mid-autumn.

Webwort velo-violet (swollen) – "Cortinarius alboviolaceus"- a cap mushroom from the group of lamellar mushrooms. The cap is up to 10 cm in diameter; in a young mushroom it is whitish-violet, lilac with a silvery tint, then dirty white. The flesh is bluish, thick in the middle.

The plates are frequent, wide, first lilac, then brown. Spore powder is rusty brown.

The leg is up to 8 cm tall, with a tuberous swelling downwards, white with a purple tint, with a whitish ring-shaped stripe.

Grows in deciduous and mixed forests.

Collection time- from August to the end of September.

Before use, you need to pour boiling water over it, then you can fry it, salt it, etc.

Edible spider web mushroom yellow

Yellow cobweb (Cantharellus triumphans)- a cap mushroom from the group of lamellar mushrooms. The cap is up to 12 cm in diameter; in a young mushroom it is round, in an old one it is flat-convex, thick, yellowish-brown or ocher. The edges of the cap are connected to the stem of the mushroom by a cobwebby blanket. The pulp is whitish or light brown, with a pleasant smell and taste.

As you can see in the photo, this edible spider web mushroom has whitish, lilac or grayish-bluish plates. In old mushrooms they are brown in color and wide. Spore powder is brown.

The leg is tall, more than 10 cm, thickened at the base, whitish-yellowish, dense, with several belts of red scales, remnants of the bedspread.

Grows in deciduous and coniferous forests, mainly in birch forests.

Collection time- Aug. Sept.

It is used for food in fresh, salted and pickled form. Salty spider web taste qualities not inferior to .

Scaly cobweb and its photo

Scaly cobweb (Cantharellus pholideus).A cap mushroom from the lamellar group. The cap is up to 10 cm in diameter, convex in young mushrooms, flat in mature ones, with a blunt tubercle, scaly, brownish-brown. In wet weather it is slimy, sticky, and shiny when dry. The pulp is white and does not change color when cut.

The plates of young mushrooms are light, bluish-gray, then rusty-brown. Spore powder is brown.

The leg is low, up to 2 cm, first lilac, then brown, with several brown belts.

Grows in mixed and coniferous forests, mainly in mossy places.

Collection time- from the second half of July to the first half of October.

Used fresh.

Purple cobweb mushroom (with photo)

Purple spider web mushroom (Cantharellus violaceus) belongs to the lamellar group. The cap is up to 12 cm in diameter, convex, then prostrate, dark purple, scaly. The flesh is gray-violet or bluish, fading to white.

• Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
• Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
• Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
• Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
• Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
• Family: Cortinariaceae (Cobwebs)
• Genus: Cortinarius (Spiderweb)
• View: Cortinarius caerulescens (Blue-blue webweed)

This type of mushroom has several Russian and Latin synonyms:

• Blue web spider;

• Gossamer blue;

• Cobweb watery blue;

• Cobweb is bluish;

• Phlegmacium caerulescens;

• Cortinarius cumatilis

• Cortinarius cyanus.

The blue-gray cobweb (Cortinarius caerulescens) belongs to the Cobweb family, is a representative of the genus.

External description

Blue-blue spiderwort (Cortinarius caerulescens) is a large mushroom consisting of a cap and a stalk, with a lamellar hymenophore. There is a residual coating on its surface. The diameter of the cap in adult mushrooms is from 5 to 10 cm; in immature mushrooms it has a hemispherical shape, which then becomes flat and convex. When it dries, it becomes fibrous and feels slimy to the touch. In young spider webs, the surface is characterized by a blue tint, gradually becoming lightish-ocher, but at the same time a border of a bluish tint remains along its edge.

The mushroom hymenophore is of the lamellar type, consisting of flat elements - plates, fused to the stem with a notch. In young fruiting bodies of mushrooms of this species, the plates have a bluish tint; with age they darken, becoming brownish.

The length of the leg of the dove-blue web spider is 4-6 cm, and the thickness is from 1.25 to 2.5 cm. At its base there is visible to the eye tuberous thickening. The surface of the leg at the base is ocher-yellow in color, and the rest of it is bluish-violet.

Mushroom pulp is characterized by an unpleasant aroma, gray-blue color and bland taste. The spore powder is rusty brown in color. The spores included in its composition are characterized by dimensions of 8-12 * 5-6.5 microns. They are almond-shaped and the surface is covered with warts.

Season and habitat

The dove-blue web spider is widespread in North America and the countries of the European continent. The fungus grows in large groups and colonies, is found in mixed and broad-leaved forests, and is a mycorrhiza-former with many deciduous trees, including beech. On the territory of Russia it is found only in the Primorsky Territory. It forms mycorrhiza with various deciduous trees (including oaks and beeches).

Edibility

Despite the fact that the mushroom belongs to the rare category and can be seen infrequently, it is classified as edible.

Similar types and differences from them

Some scientists distinguish the name watery blue spiderwort (Cortinarius cumatilis) into a separate species. Its distinctive feature is its uniformly colored bluish-gray cap. There is no tuberous thickening in it, as well as the remains of the veil.

The described type of mushroom has several similar species:

Mayor's web spider (Cortinarius mairei). It is distinguished by white hymenophore plates.

Cortinarius terpsichores and Cortinarius cyaneus. These varieties of mushrooms are distinguished from the dove-blue gossamer by the presence of radial fibers on the surface of the cap, a darker color, and the presence of remnants of a blanket on the cap, which disappear over time.

Cortinarius volvatus. This type of mushroom is characterized by a very small size and a characteristic dark blue color. It grows mainly under coniferous trees.