Cortinarius albescens

Cortinarius albescens A.H. Sm., Lloydia 7 (3): 180 (1944) [MB#285690]

Description:
Cap 25-90 mm across, at first convex with broad umbo, spreading to plane, glutinous, variable in color from violaceous grey, buff, drab, cream to yellow-ochre on disc, cortina white, gills lavender, grayish-lavender, grey to cinnamon-brown, lavender tones may persist, stipe 50 – 120 mm long, 6 – 14 mm wide at apex, thick, solid, equal to bulbous base, ridged at first, flesh pale grayish-lavender to lavender-streaked, then cream with yellow context in base and violaceous-grey at stipe apex, taste strongly bitter, odor sharp to indistinct on WA specimens, but CA specimens have odor of green corn, KOH yellow on flesh to no rxn.

Discussion:
Cortinarius albescens is notable for it’s violaceous-grey gills, subdued cap tones (in shades from grey through buff to yellow ochre), long, firm, equal white stipe and small bulbous, marginate base. Smith suspected it was a Glaucopoid, and differentiated it by it’s bitter taste and “long white stipe at maturity”.

More recent phylogentic studies have placed C. albescens in Section Caerulescentes. A close NAm species appears to be Cortinarius volvatus.

ITS: SDA 659 and NS4664 are a match to NR_130244.1 Cortinarius albescens MICH 10312 ITS region; from TYPE material

>SDA_659 & NS4664
CTGCGGAAGGATCATTATTGAAATAAACCTGATGAGTTGCTGCTGGCTCTCTTGGGAGCATGTGCACACTTGTCGTCTTTATATCTCCACCTGTGCACCTTTTGTAGACTTGGATATCTTTCTGAGTGCTTGTCACTCAGGTTTTTGAGGATTGACTTTTACGTCTCTCTTTACATTTCCAAGTCTATGTTTCTTCATATACTCAATGTATGTCTTAGAGTGTAATTAATGGGCCATTGTGCCTATAAACCTATACAACTTTCAGCAACGGATCTCTTGGCTCTCGCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGCGAAATGCGATAAGTAATGTGAATTGCAGAATTCAGTGAATCATCGAATCTTTGAACGCACCTTGCGCTCCTTGGTATTCCGAGGAGCATGCCTGTTTGAGTGTCATTAATATATATCAACCTCTTCAACTGTGTTGAGTGTTGGATGTGGGGGTTTCCTTTTGCTGGCCTCTTTAAAAAGGTCAGCTCCCCTAAAATGTATTAGCGGAACAGTTTGTGGATCGTTCATTGGTGTGATAACTATCTACGCTATAGACGAGAAACAGTTTCTGCTTCTAATAGTCCATTTATTTGGACAAC

Bibliography:

Smith, Alexander H. “New and Interesting Cortinarii from North America.” Lloydia 7 (September 1944): 163–235.

Soop, K., B. Dima, J.A. Cooper, D. Park, and B. Oertel. “A Phylogenetic Approach to a Global Supraspecific Taxonomy of Cortinarius ( Agaricales ) with an Emphasis on the Southern Mycota.” Persoonia – Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi 42, no. 1 (July 19, 2019): 261–90. https://doi.org/10.3767/persoonia.2019.42.10.