Content
The cobweb is a rare species of the Cobweb family, which grows everywhere, mainly in the humus of fallen pine needles. In Latin, its name is written as Cortinarius Privignoides; in Russian-language sources there is another telling definition: “tuber-footed”. The fruiting body has no special distinctive features. It is important to study the scientific description of the species in detail, since stepson-shaped mushrooms are not eaten.
Description of the spider web
The fruiting body is formed from a long stem and an almost flat cap. The color is beautiful, copper-red or pale brown.
In appearance it is a classic forest basidiomycete
Description of the cap
The upper part of the stepson-shaped cobweb is not large in size, the diameter varies between 5 and 7 cm.
The shape of the cap is prostrate or convex in mature fruiting bodies, bell-shaped in young ones. Its surface is dry and velvety. The color can take on all shades of brown, orange or red.
The reverse side of the cap is covered with frequent narrow plates that grow to the stem
In young immature stepson-shaped mushrooms, they are brown, covered with a white coating; when ripe, they acquire a rusty tint, and later become uneven and jagged.
Description of the leg
The base of the described mushroom is club-shaped, thick at the soil surface, thin under the cap.
The lower part has a rounded tuberous growth, which explains the descriptive name of the stepson-shaped basidiomycete - tuberous
The diameter of the leg does not exceed 1.5 cm, length - 6 cm. The surface is smooth, silky, dry, white, dotted with small brown spots. In young stepson-shaped fruiting bodies, the stem may have a blue or purple tint. Rings are absent or poorly defined.
The spongy flesh is light brown at the base of the stalk. The rest of the fruit body is white and odorless. The spore powder of the cobweb is stepson-shaped, orange-brown in color. The spores are narrow and long.
Where and how does it grow
The spider web is distributed throughout Europe and Russia. It grows in coniferous forests, but can also be found in mixed forests. This is an old-timer of the North American continent. Its fruiting occurs in August.
The stepson-shaped basidiomycete grows in families near coniferous trees and forms mycorrhiza with them. You can see its red cap in a heap of fallen and rotted needles, foliage and in ordinary soil.Occasionally it is found in deciduous forests, mainly under birch trees.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The described basidiomycete is classified as a poisonous species; collecting it for food consumption is prohibited. The fruit body does not emit any pungent or other odors.
Doubles and their differences
The cobweb is classified as a European species of mushroom. But, despite this, no representatives of the family similar to it in appearance and description were found on the continent.
Conclusion
The cobweb is an inedible mushroom that is of interest only to collectors and mycologists. You can meet it everywhere in coniferous forests. It is important for lovers of quiet hunting to pay attention to the description of this poisonous representative of the spider web family. It should not be allowed to end up in the basket along with edible mushrooms.
