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Species Information
Summary: Subgenus Dermocybe; a characteristic feature is the tendency of the cap to lose moisture and fade from reddish brown to olive-brown (subhygrophanous), the most striking characteristic when present is microscopic: the presence of bluish to bluish purple particles of pigment in the hyphae of the cuticle and subcuticle of cap when mounted in KOH; other features include flesh that is olive fading to ochraceous in cap, fulvous in the base, and ochraceous in the rest of the stem; broad gills that are rusty ochraceous becoming ferruginous, then orange-ochraceous to orange-fulvous; dry, equal stem near rusty ochraceous and darkening (more ochraceous) from base upward, with a covering of ochraceous fibrils; bitter taste; and reddish brown cap reaction with KOH; found at least ID, WA, (Ammirati), BC (collections by O. Ceska at University of British Columbia), CHEMICAL REACTIONS cap surface reddish brown with KOH
Cap: (1)2-4cm across, obtuse to convex, becoming broadly convex to flat, margin incurved to decurved [downcurved]; subhygrophanous [somewhat hygrophanous], dark brown to dark cinnamon, often fading as it dries to olive brown; fibrillose, moist, more or less opaque
Flesh: in cap olive when moist, ochraceous faded, in stem rusty ochraceous to the base, in base orange-fulvous to dark fulvous
Gills: adnexed, close, broad; rusty ochraceous becoming ferruginous, then orange-ochraceous to orange-fulvous
Stem: 4-7cm x 0.5-1cm, equal or nearly equal, "near rusty ochraceous and darkening (more ochraceous) from the base upward, with a covering of ochraceous fibrils"
Odor: not distinctive
Taste: more or less bitter
Microscopic spores: spores 7-9 x 4.5-5.5 microns, elliptic to ovate, verruculose [finely warty], in KOH brownish to pale fulvous, in Melzer's reagent light yellowish to yellowish brown; basidia 4-spored, 24-35 x 5.5-7 microns, "clavate to more or less ventricose, thin-walled", in KOH colorless to pale vinaceous "or containing particles and masses of deep red to vinaceous red pigment", in Melzer's reagent light yellow "or containing yellowish, brownish, orange, or reddish orange particles"; pleurocystidia absent, cheilocystidia 8-17 x 6-8 microns, "clavate to broadly clavate, thin-walled", in KOH and Melzer's reagent similar to basidia; clamp connections present throughout the fruiting body
Spore deposit: [presumably a shade of brown]
Habitat / Range
gregarious "under conifers on humus or rotted wood, September through November", (Ammirati), fall
Similar Species
like Cortinarius zakii in having orange gills, but C. zakii has deep orange gills when young, spores (6)6.5-8(9) x 4-4.5 microns, and a coating of dull brown to vinaceous brown fibrils over the stem surface, (Ammirati); like Cortinarius aurantiobasis in having orange gills, but C. aurantiobasis has large spores (8.5-11(12) x 5-6 microns), (Ammirati); like Cortinarius ominosus and its relatives and like Cortinarius humboldtensis in the presence of blue to bluish purple particles of pigment in hyphae of cuticle and subcuticle of cap, however Cortinarius ominosus has red gills and Cortinarius humboldtensis has olive-yellow gills, (Ammirati)
