? Lethal webcaps Conservation status: Secure
Deadly webcap, Cortinarius rubellus Fool's webcap, Cortinarius orellanus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi Division: Basidiomycota Class: Homobasidiomycetae Order: Agaricales Family: Cortinariacae Genus: Cortinarius Species: C. rubellus C. orellanus
Binomial name
Cortinarius rubellus Cooke
Cortinarius orellanus Fries

The lethal webcaps, two species in the genus Cortinarius, are probably the world's most poisonous mushrooms. The species are the deadly webcap, Cortinarius rubellus, and the fool's webcap, Cortinarius orellanus. Image File history File links Cortinarius_rubellus_01. ... Image File history File links Corellanus. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Deuteromycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungus growing on a tree in Borneo A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ... Classes Subdivision Teliomycotina    Urediniomycetes Subdivision Ustilaginomycotina    Ustilaginomycetes Subdivision Hymenomycotina    Homobasidiomycetes- mushrooms    Heterobasidiomycetes- jelly fungi The Division Basidiomycota is a large taxon within the Kingdom Fungi that includes those species that produce spores in a club-shaped structure called a basidium. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the fungus Leucocoprinus sp. ...

The mushrooms' characteristics are quite common, making these mushrooms difficult to identify, which often leads to fatal poisonings. Young examples of the species often have a veil between the cap of the mushroom and the stem. This veil looks like a cobweb, hence the name. The veil however partially or completely disappears in older specimens. Some other characteristics for each of the mushrooms are given below. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Deadly webcap

Cortinarius rubellus (Deadly webcap)
Spore color: Rusty brown to orange
Cap: 3–7 cm rusty brown to orange. Often has a steeper and darker colored elevation at the top of the cap, but this varies greatly from specimen to specimen
Gills: Wide gaps between the gills which can be, but not necessarily connected to the stem
Location: Rare, but common in temperate parts of northern Europe
Habitat: Pine woods with an acidic soil
Other details: Young specimens contain a pale web between the cap and the stem. Sometimes parts of this web can be seen as a yellow ring on the stem or at the edge of the cap. The fruiting body of the mushroom blossoms from mid-summer to late fall.
Spores produced in a sporic life cycle. ... Gills are the spore-bearing structure in agarics (gilled mushrooms). ... World map showing Europe Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... Habitat (from the Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species lives and grows. ... Species About 115. ... Soil pH is an indication of the alkalinity or acidity of soil. ...

Fool's webcap

Cortinarius orellanus (Fool's webcap)
Spore color: Rusty brown to orange
Cap: 3–8.5 cm, concave
Gills: Similar to those of the deadly webcap
Location: Common throughout Europe, rare in the northern parts Europe. Has been observed as north as southern Norway
Habitat: In forests, around trees where the soil is alkaline or acidic
Other details: Young specimens of the Fool's webcap also contain a web between the cap and the stem that partially or completely disappears as the specimen ages.
The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ...

Toxicity

Both of these mushrooms can be confused with each other and many incidents of mushroom poisoning have occurred where inexperienced mushroom hunters have confused these mushrooms with edible mushrooms such as the chanterelle. One should be especially cautious when picking mushrooms like the cleaned funnel chanterelles as these mushrooms share the same habitat as the deadly webcap and the fool's webcap. Sadly in many of the incidents where this mushroom has been ingested, death has occurred. These emerging mushrooms are too immature to safely identify as edible or toxic. ... There are thousands of regularly harvested edible fungi in the world, in addition to literally hundreds of thousands of other edible species. ... Species Cantharellus is a genus with many delicious and popular edible mushrooms. ... Species Cantharellus is a genus with many delicious and popular edible mushrooms. ...

Unlike many other species of mushroom, webcaps should never be identified by tasting a small portion of the mushroom. The toxin in these mushrooms is so poisonous that putting a small piece in your mouth and spitting it out again is often enough to poison you. This is one of the main reasons why you should never taste nor eat an unidentified mushroom. The venom of the black widow spider is a potent latrotoxin. ...

Cortinarius rubellus

The deadly webcap and the fool's webcap both contain the toxin Orellanin. A characteristic of orellanin poisoning is the long latency, the first symptoms usually don't appear until 2-3 days after ingestion and can in some cases take as long as 3 weeks. The first symptoms of orellanin poisoning are similar to the common flu (nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, headaches, etc), these symptoms are followed by early stages of renal failure (immense thirst, frequent urination, pain on and around the kidneys) and eventually decreased or nonexistent urine output and other symptoms of renal failure occur. If left untreated death will follow. There is no known antidote against orellanin poisoning, but early hospitalisation and treatment can sometimes prevent serious injuries and usually prevent death. If you suspect orellanin poisoning acting soon, rather than later, can save your life. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1212x1413, 1448 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1212x1413, 1448 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In 1955 the Polish physician Grzymała isolated a substance from the fungus Cortinarius orellanus. ... Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease that infects birds and mammals (primarily of the upper airways and lungs in mammals) and is caused by an RNA virus of the Orthomyxoviridae family (the influenza viruses). ... For other uses, see Nausea (disambiguation). ... A headache is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head; sometimes upper back or neck pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... Renal failure is the condition where the kidneys fail to function properly. ... Kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. ... An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. ...

Several more mushrooms in the Cortinarius genus are suspected to contain orellanin or other deadly toxins. Among them are Cortinarius callisteus and Cortinarius limonius.

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Cortinarius orellanus