North American Cortinarius Collections
An ongoing study
The best features to identify this mushroom are the creamy-beige to yellowish-beige cap that develops ocher-orange colors, the tan to light brown gills that darken to rusty-orange, rusty orange spores and especially the bright yellow-orange staining, which slowly becoming ocher-red to reddish-orange.
Cortinarius armeniacus is not often collected in our region, but is likely overlooked due to inconspicuous colors and general neglect of Cortinarius species. It can be recognized by the smooth to shiny, hygrophanous yellow to chestnut-brown cap with white margin, firm whitish-drab stipe and convex cap with low umbo
Cortinarius fructuodorus is best recognized by the Cortinarius traganus-like fruity pear odor for which it is named, overall brown (or slightly purple-brown tones) and spores in the range of 8.5-10 x 5.0-6.0 microns. This species is one of several larger pale Telamonia in our region which need further study.
Cortinarius pitkinensis is a yellow-to-orange gilled Dermocybe known to occur at higher elevation in mossy drainages. It is likely to be misidentified as Cortinarius croceus or Cortinarius cinnamomeus - the most widely known names for yellow and orange-gilled Dermocybe. As it happens, there are many similar species which are challenging to differentiate.
Cortinarius trappei - Ammirati, Liimat. & Niskanen 2014 Description:Pileus: 15-35 mm across, convex, sub-umbonate to umbonate, margin straight to inrolled when young, surface moist to dry, burgandy to red-brown, or dull tan when dry, typically covered with fine, appressed bronze (pale orange-brown) veil remnants. Gills: Close, burgandy to rich wine-red, becoming dark brown in age.... Continue Reading →
An olive-yellow Cortinarius with yellow gills, and obliquely marginate bulb, described from Austria. While there are several bright yellow Cortinarius species that occur in conifer forest, for our PNW region consider also Cortinarius metarius, Cortinarius cupreorufus and Cortinarius picea.
Cortinarius neofurvolaesus is a medium to large red-brown to brown species in subgenus Telamonia. It is a close relative to Cortinarius sordidemaculatus (= Cortinarius furvolaesus) and has a similar brown spots or bruising with age. Neither species shows purple tones. Cortinarius neofurvolaesus appears slightly more slender, has lighter red-brown tones and in my observation a more pale and less bulbous stipe.
Cortinarius oliveopetasatus is one of a few olive, yellow-brown phlegmaciod Cortinarius in the Sulfurini lineage (in Section Calochroi). It should be differentiated from C.luteicolor and C.subsulfurinus.
Cortinarius citriolens is a large, purple capped, gregarious species recently recorded from the PNW.
Cortinarius section subtorti contains a number of olive toned bitter species.
North American Cortinarius Collections 