About this fungus
Brown Webcap is a fungus in the Cortinariaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A robust dark-brown webcap of damp, mossy conifer woodland, especially spruce forest. The cap changes markedly with moisture, appearing deep red-brown to umber when wet and becoming paler brown as it dries.
What to check
Young fruit bodies have a cobweb-like cortina between cap and stem. This soon collapses, but a distinct whitish to brownish veil band or garland often remains on the upper stem. The broad, fairly widely spaced gills become rusty brown, and the spore print is rust brown. The cap is hygrophanous and the whole fruit body often darkens or blackens with age.
Variation
Wet caps are dark umber or watery red-brown and may show a striate margin or faint bluish tones. Dry caps become paler chestnut or cinnamon-brown. Old fruit bodies can turn grey-brown to blackish, while rain and handling may reduce the veil band.
Lookalikes
Cortinarius glandicolor is generally more slender and has more scattered veil remnants. Cortinarius clarobrunneus is paler, lacks the same distinct veil band and is associated more with pine. Section Brunnei contains several close species whose reliable separation may require spore measurements and sequence-supported regional knowledge.
Habitat and range
Ectomycorrhizal on soil in damp, mossy conifer forest, particularly with spruce, and also recorded with other conifers including Sitka spruce in coastal North America. It occurs across northern Europe and North America.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
James Lindsey / CC BY-SA 3.0
James Lindsey / CC BY-SA 3.0