Cortinarius gentilis
Species of fungus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cortinarius gentilis, commonly known as the goldband webcap,[2] is a fungus of the subgenus Telamonia, normally found in North America and Europe.
| Cortinarius gentilis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Cortinariaceae |
| Genus: | Cortinarius |
| Species: | C. gentilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cortinarius gentilis (Fr.) Fr. (1838) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Agaricus helvolus Pers. (1796) | |
| Cortinarius gentilis | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium is adnexed |
 | Stipe has a cortina |
 | Spore print is reddish-brown |
 | Ecology is mycorrhizal |
 | Edibility is unknown or deadly |
Previously reported to be a poisonous species, a 2003 Finnish study tested negative for toxicity.
Description
The cap is bright tan, umbonate, and 1–5 centimetres (1⁄2–2 in) wide.[3] The flesh is tan, with an odour of raw potatoes.[4] The stem is up to 10 cm (4 in) long,[3] resembles a root, and has yellow veil remnants near the bottom.[4] The gills are distant, similarly coloured to the cap but sometimes reddish with age.[4] The spore print is rusty-brown.[3]
Habitat and distribution
It can be found growing separate or in groups in moss under conifer trees. It can be found in North America's Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains.[3]
Alleged toxicity
In the 20th century, C. gentilis was considered poisonous in Finnish mycological publications[5] (and deadly by mycologist David Arora).[3] It was reported to belong to subgenus Leprocybe and to contain the toxin orellanine, but these details have since been disputed.[4]
The claim of toxicity primarily stemmed from a study by Möttönen et al. (1975) and a case study by Hulmi et al. (1975). When a specimen from the former study was reexamined, it turned out to be labelled as the highly toxic C. speciosissimus. The authors of a 2003 study analysed 28 Finnish samples of the species. An unspecific cell culture toxicity test and a feeding test on mice revealed no signs of toxicity.[6]
