How to identify Red-gilled Cortinarius

To correctly identify Red-gilled Cortinarius (Cortinarius semisanguineus), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The cap is 2-8 cm in diameter, convex to broadly convex or nearly flat with age, often with a low umbo. The color ranges from dull olive-brown to yellowish-brown, sometimes with reddish tints, especially towards the center. The surface is dry, finely fibrillose to minutely scaly, and often somewhat velvety. The margin is incurved when young, becoming straight with age, and may show remnants of the cortina.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   The gills are adnate to sinuate, crowded, and initially a striking blood-red to saffron-red, becoming rusty cinnamon-brown with age due to the maturing spores. They are the most distinctive feature of this species. A cobweb-like cortina is present in young specimens, connecting the cap margin to the stem, often leaving rusty spore deposits on the stem as it breaks.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 3-10 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly clavate (club-shaped) towards the base. The color is yellowish to olive-yellow, often paler than the cap, and may have reddish-brown stains, especially towards the base. The surface is dry and fibrillose, often with rusty zones or remnants of the cortina. It is solid when young, becoming hollow with age.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is yellowish to olive-yellow in the cap and stem, sometimes reddish-brown in the stem base. It is relatively thin and does not change color when cut or bruised. The odor is indistinct or slightly radish-like, and the taste is mild.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is typically medium-sized, with a cap diameter of 2-8 cm and a stem height of 3-10 cm.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Cortinarius semisanguineus is a mycorrhizal fungus, forming symbiotic relationships primarily with coniferous trees, especially pine (Pinus spp.) and spruce (Picea spp.). It can also be found in mixed woodlands. It grows solitarily or scattered on the ground in moss or leaf litter.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Dry, finely fibrillose to minutely scaly, velvety

Growth Form

Solitary or scattered

Spore Print

Rusty brown

Body color

Cap: olive-brown to yellowish-brown; Gills: blood-red to saffron-red; Stem: yellowish to olive-yellow

Odor

Indistinct or slightly radish-like

Flesh bruises

No significant bruising reaction

Height

3-10 cm

Cap Diameter

2-8 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnate to sinuate
• Stem shape: Cylindrical or slightly clavate
• Stem surface: Dry, fibrillose, often with rusty zones from cortina
• Ring: Absent (cortina present when young, leaving rusty remnants)
• Stem cross-section: Solid when young, becoming hollow

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