Cobwebs (Cortinarius) are a fairly extensive genus of fungi, numbering more than 40 species in our country alone, and throughout the world this figure exceeds the two thousandth threshold. Most of their representatives are inedible, and some are even deadly poisonous. The name of some types of these mushrooms speaks for itself: just look at the superb cobweb or the elegant cobweb. They are also called marshlands or ringed caps.

Brief description and habitat

Cobwebs are lamellar mushrooms. Their main distinctive feature It may well be brightly colored. They are found in purple, bright yellow, dark red, terracotta and other colors. Some species names came precisely because of this characteristic: purple webwort, crimson webwort, watery-blue webwort, and others. And the name of the entire genus of mushrooms was given by the cobwebby film like a blanket enveloping its representatives. The web cover is clearly visible in young mushrooms: it connects the stem and the edges of the cap. And in mature representatives, the thin film breaks as it grows and becomes like a cobweb entangling the stem of the mushroom. Some of its threads hang from the cap, but for the most part they remain in the lower part of the stem in the form of a cobwebby ring. These mushrooms are very similar to each other and only experienced mushroom pickers can distinguish one type of cobweb from another.

All representatives of this genus have a round cap that becomes flat as it grows, often raised in the middle. To the touch it is smooth, fibrous, less often scaly. There may be either a mucous surface of the cap or a dry one. The pulp is fleshy, thin, often white, but can also be multi-colored. The plates are frequent, descending, and the leg is cylindrical, sometimes thickened at the base. Remnants of a cobwebby blanket will always be visible on it. It practically matches the color of the surface of the cap, sometimes it may differ only in the intensity of the shade. The spore powder of mushrooms is usually yellow or brown-yellow in color. In general, cobwebs are very similar to, so it is quite difficult to confuse them with edible mushrooms.

These mushrooms love moist, swampy soil. They can often be found near the outskirts of swamps, which is why they received the name “swamplanders”. Spider webs grow in deciduous and mixed forests, are less frequently observed in conifers. This is a widespread genus. Their habitat is the European part of Russia, Siberia, Far East, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan. In Europe, they are often found in Austria, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Finland, Switzerland, Romania, Latvia and Estonia. You can also find them in the USA and Japan. However, although they are so ubiquitous, they are quite rare mushrooms. Some of their species, for example, purple cobweb, are listed in the Red Book Russian Federation and other regions.

Beneficial features

Despite the fact that some of the types of spider webs are poisonous, this does not reduce the content of valuable substances in them that have practical use in medicine. Some of the representatives of this genus are used as raw materials for the manufacture of dyes. Mostly brown or ocher colored mushrooms are used for this purpose.

Edible and conditionally edible representatives are successfully used for culinary purposes, having previously undergone additional processing in the form of long-term boiling with frequent replacement of water. In cooking, such types of mushrooms as watery blue cobweb, superb cobweb, purple cobweb, and yellow cobweb are often used.

These are the most common species eaten. There are others, but many of them are useless and have no taste value. Be that as it may, even well-known species should only be collected by experienced mushroom pickers.

Types of spider webs used in cooking can be consumed boiled, salted, fried, pickled, or canned. Incomparable with him various firsts and second courses. Many experts say that these mushrooms have a nutty flavor.

Fried spider web recipe

For preparation you will need:

• edible or conditionally edible spider webs – 500 grams;
• flour - 4 tablespoons;
• vegetable oil – 3 tablespoons;
• greenery.

Initially, fresh mushrooms need to be thoroughly boiled, changing them several times. Then cut them into small pieces. Place in a preheated frying pan and fry until almost done. Then pour flour into the mushrooms and continue cooking. The top of the dish can be decorated with herbs and served. It is best consumed hot.

Types of mushrooms and medicinal properties

The most known species of this kind are:

• yellow spiderwort or triumphal marshweed – edible;
• purple spider web – conditionally edible;
• orange cobweb – conditionally edible;
• purple spider web – conditionally edible;
• shiny cobweb - poisonous;
• bracelet web - edible;
• Variable cobweb – conditionally edible;
• brown cobweb – conditionally edible;
• smeared cobweb – conditionally edible;
• superb cobweb - edible;
• straight spider web – conditionally edible;
• red-olive cobweb - inedible;
• Gossamer webwort – conditionally edible;
• Scaly cobweb is inedible.

Some representatives of this genus are considered poisonous mushrooms, but this does not reduce their medicinal properties.

Red cobweb

A red or blood-reddish mushroom, classified as poisonous. It bears a close resemblance to the inedible purple spider web. It has pronounced antiseptic properties. The substances included in its composition prevent the development of tuberculous mycobacteria. Found in coniferous forests. Loves moist, mossy soil. Fruits from July to September.

Bracelet web plant

It has a yellow-brown or brown-red color; with age, the terracotta color predominates and becomes more saturated. Resembles the triumphal cobweb. This is a conditionally edible mushroom, used in cooking only after careful pre-processing. IN medicinal purposes used as an antiseptic. It forms mycorrhiza only with birch. Picky in choosing soil - prefers a swampy, acidic environment. Fruits from July to early October.

The color of the mushroom is multifaceted: from grayish-green to black-olive with brown and brown impurities. It is quite similar to many representatives of this species, from which it differs in the absence of odor, very bitter taste and black color of the plates. The alkaloids included in its composition, in laboratory studies, showed good results in inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, which is one of the main types of therapy for Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders. This mushroom is considered poisonous. Found mainly in deciduous and mixed forests, loves calcareous soils. Forms mycorrhiza with oak and beech. Fruits from July to October.

Gossamer's web

Pale lilac, becoming ocher-white with age. It is similar to camphor spiderweed, which has the same unpleasant specific odor. It differs from a rare species - the violet cobweb - in the rusty color of the plates, from the white-violet representative - in a more saturated color, from the violet row - in a strong repulsive aroma and a tangled, abundant cover. The mushroom is inedible. Eating it is not recommended. For medical purposes it has pronounced antibacterial properties. An antibiotic, inolomine, was identified in its composition.

Harm and dangerous properties

Some types of spider webs are very toxic and poisonous. They are most dangerous because signs of poisoning may appear after several days or even weeks, since they contain delayed-acting toxins. Their venom is very harmful to the kidneys; with its help, a disease such as acute interstitial nephritis can develop. Even irreversible changes in the structure of the kidneys and death are possible. According to statistics, for every seven cases of poisoning, one is fatal.

Characteristic signs of spiderweb poisoning are burning and dry mouth, severe thirst followed by vomiting, nausea, and abdominal cramps. Often accompanied by headache and pain in the lumbar region. Even if you notice the symptoms in time and consult a doctor, recovery and treatment will take quite a long time.

In order to protect yourself, it is important to remember the first rule of a mushroom picker: if there are doubts about the edibility or inedibility of a mushroom, then it is generally accepted that it is obviously poisonous. In general, it’s better not to take risks and entrust the collection of spider webs to specialists who can confidently distinguish good mushroom from its poisonous brother.

By the way, when preparing good edible mushrooms, it is worth remembering that violations in technology and non-compliance with processing rules can lead to severe poisoning and tragic consequences.

Providing first aid for poisoning

Any type of poisoning requires immediate medical attention until the ambulance arrives. It is advisable not to transport the patient to the clinic, since some toxins can cause disruption of the cardiovascular system.

Before the doctor arrives, you should:

• put the patient to bed;
• perform repeated gastric lavage;
• drink a laxative to remove poison from the intestines;
• do a cleansing enema.

In case of poisoning, severe dehydration of the body occurs, so it is recommended to give the patient a drink. saline solutions, for example, rehydron. Give the victim cool, strong teas or just salted water. For calf cramps, which often occur precisely because of dehydration, you can put mustard plasters on your shin.

If everything was done correctly, and the danger was noticed at an early stage, then after such measures, the victim may already feel an improvement in his condition after 2-3 hours.

But this is not a reason to refuse hospitalization if recommended by a doctor.

conclusions

Spider mushrooms are quite rare and mostly dangerous mushrooms. But this does not stop some gourmets from collecting various representatives of this genus for culinary purposes. Many of them have interesting taste and are quite often eaten after undergoing pre-processing.

Before preparing a dish of spider webs, they need to be thoroughly boiled, changing the water several times. However, only experienced mushroom pickers will be able to cope with such an impossible task as determining which type of cobweb mushroom a particular mushroom belongs to.

The thing is that they are very similar to each other and an ignorant person can quite easily confuse an edible representative with its dangerous toxic relative.

Cobwebs are very dangerous due to the slow-acting toxins they contain. Poisoning by these mushrooms does not appear immediately, but after a fairly long period of time, which can be up to 14 days.

In some cases, they lead to pathological changes in the body, and sometimes even to death. In case of mushroom poisoning, the victim should immediately provide first aid medical care in the form of gastric and intestinal lavage, and provide plenty of fluids to avoid dangerous dehydration.

But even the most poisonous mushrooms do not lose their medicinal properties. They contain substances from which, with the right technology in the laboratory, it is possible to extract various components used to create antibiotics and various other drugs.

In fact, the cobweb is a rather valuable mushroom, but it is valued mainly for its medical properties. Its taste and culinary properties are not particularly popular. Cobweb mushrooms are quite rare and little-known mushrooms, so it is better not to take risks and refuse to eat them in favor of other edible, more tasty and well-known representatives.

Have you heard of such a mushroom as cobweb? And it turns out that it is deadly poisonous! Detailed information you will find in the article.

The most beautiful cobweb - a deadly poisonous mushroom

A photo of the mushroom in question is presented to your attention in the article. The most beautiful cobweb (reddish) - is of the genus Cobweb, family Cobweb family. People also call it the marsh plant. They should not be eaten either raw or cooked, because the toxins they contain can cause kidney failure. This genus consists of at least 40 species. Some are considered poisonous, some are edible, and some are considered edible. By external signs These mushrooms are quite similar, which is why they are often confused. This suggests that it is better not to collect them without proper knowledge about cobwebs and mushrooms in general. And in order to decide to eat such a mushroom, you need to be 100% sure what type of spider web you found.

Until the 1950s, it was believed that these mushrooms could be eaten. And only as a result of a large number of incidents of poisoning with orange-red cobwebs, and later with beautiful cobwebs, registered in 1957, it was decided to classify these mushrooms as deadly poisonous. These two species are the most toxic.

Appearance

The width of the cap ranges from 4 to 9 cm, starting from a conical shape, flowing into a flat, prostrate shape, with a tubercle in the center. The outer layer is dry, matte with a velvety and fibrous structure. Color - reddish-orange or reddish-brown, central part darker. Does not increase in size upon contact with water.

The plates are planted infrequently, they are wide and thick. At first the color matches the cap, then changes to reddish-brown. Young mushrooms have a cobweb-like cover of yellow-ocher color.

The leg is cylindrical, increasing or tapering at the base, while its length is 60-100 mm and thickness 4-10 mm. On the fibrous coating you can find curved bands of a barely yellow tint.

The pulp is light orange or yellow-brown in color with a bad odor.

The spore trail is reddish-brown in color. Their dimensions are 8-8.5 microns, their shape is wide elliptical or almost spherical, with a warty outer layer. Cheilocystids are practically never found.

Where does it grow

The most beautiful spider web - deadly poisonous mushroom, which is found in numerous regions in Europe. In our areas they grow in the central regions, as well as in the northern part. You can see such mushrooms in mountainous areas, on the slopes of hills. They are quite rare.

How it grows

This mushroom grows most often in oak and old coniferous forests, where light sandy soil is common. Raw spruce forests with green sphagnum mosses are also favorable for growth.

Toxic spores can be dispersed to other areas by air flow and tactile contact. Mycorrhiza forms with spruce.

Fruits from July until the first frost occurs. Near clusters of the most beautiful spiderwort you can find others of this genus.

The most beautiful cobweb - a deadly poisonous mushroom: types

In our territories you can find up to 40 species of mushrooms of this genus, and only 2 of them are edible. Some of them are so dangerous that they are equated to The vast majority of mushrooms are simply inedible.

Only specialists can find the difference among all these types, which means that it is better to avoid them.

Similar species

Mountain cobweb is another poisonous mushroom, the consumption of which can be fatal. The width of its cap is 30-80 mm, at first it is convex, and when the mushroom ages, its shape becomes flat, with a flat tubercle located in the central part. The outer layer is dry. The color varies from yellow-brown to reddish-brown. The height of the leg is 40-90 mm, and its width is 10-20 mm. It's narrower at the bottom. The surface of the cap and stem is fibrous.

Edible cobweb is a type of mushroom that can be eaten. His middle name is fatty. Its 50-80 mm cap has a dense, fleshy structure with edges turned toward the ground. With the flow life cycle, it takes on a flat, slightly depressed shape. Its color is grayish-white and its surface is moist. The leg has a height of 20-30 mm and a width of 15-20 mm, it is dense, without bends.

Slime cobweb is a conditionally edible mushroom. It should not be confused with the mucous cobweb. The hat has a diameter of 100-120 mm. At first it has a bell-shaped shape, which over time becomes flat with a curved edge. The color of the cap varies between yellowish, brown and brown. The entire mushroom is covered with mucus. The leg reaches 200 mm in length, it resembles a spindle. Its color is white, with a bluish tint. On the stem you can find particles in the form of lumps and rings.

There is another one similar deadly poisonous species- brilliant spider web. It is quite rare. It is very easy to recognize by its bright yellow cap covered with mucus. Found in coniferous forests.

The beautiful cobweb (a deadly poisonous mushroom, similar species of which were presented to your attention above) can also be confused with some edible mushrooms. These are purple hygrophorus, camphor milkweed and a species of honey fungus - armillaria glubnieva. The main difference between the poisonous mushroom and the honey fungus is the presence of ocher belts and red plates on its stem - in the honey mushroom they are white or light yellow.

Classification

What else is known about such a mushroom as the beautiful cobweb? Deadly poisonous which includes the following basic data:

• Overkingdom - Eukaryotes.
• Kingdom - Mushrooms.
• Sub-kingdom - Higher mushrooms.
• Department - Basidiomycetes.
• Subsection - Agaricomycotina.
• Class - Agaricomycetes.
• Subclass - Agariaceae.
• Family - Cobwebs.
• Rod - Cobweb.
• Subgenus - Leprocybe.
• View - The most beautiful spider web.
• World scientific name: Cortinarius rubellus Cooke.

Toxic substances

The most beautiful cobweb is a rare, deadly poisonous mushroom that contains a very strong toxin, a complex polypeptide - orellan. It does not lose its toxic properties after processing high temperatures, placing it in a different acidic environment and drying it. Toxicity is greatly reduced only under the influence of ultraviolet and solar radiation. This mushroom contains 7.5 mg of orellanine for every 1 g of dried mushrooms.

Experts believe that in addition to orellanine, mushrooms contain two additional polypeptides - cortinarine A and B, which determine the totality of manifestations in the form of patient complaints. The combined presence of these 3 components was revealed only in 2 species of mushrooms of this family: the beautiful cobweb (reddish) and the orange-red.

Main symptoms and how quickly they appear

Thanks to a large number Research has determined that the main organ that is affected by orellanin is the kidneys. Due to its combined effects with metabolites, renal epithelial cells develop free radicals, cell membranes are destroyed, alkaline phosphatase and protein production are suppressed, as well as damage to the structure of RNA and DNA.

Even a small amount of the product can cause harm to the body. 40 g of freshly picked mushrooms consumed as food can lead to death. That is why, to save your life, it is recommended not to pay attention to the brown-red cobwebs, and not to collect suspicious mushrooms at all.

The clinical picture of orellan syndrome largely depends on personal susceptibility to the toxin. In case of spider web poisoning, there are four stages of the disease.

The particular danger of orellanine poisoning is that symptoms resulting from its entry into the body can appear only after a long time, when it is already too late, and everyone will happily forget about eating mushrooms. There are cases when symptoms appear after 7-14 days. During poisoning, the patient may experience nausea, a huge need to drink, a feeling of dryness and burning in the mouth, vomiting, and pain in the abdominal area. This condition can last from 1 to 2 weeks. If you do not seek help in a timely manner, death is possible. In special cases, when the patient’s condition is very serious, death can occur even 5 months after consuming the poisonous mushroom.

In the case of a short lethal stage, within 2-3 days, acute renal failure is formed with a prolonged oligoanuric stage. Children and the elderly suffer the most from the disease.

If nephropathy persists for quite a long time, then in 30-50% of cases it will be followed by the formation of a chronic form of renal failure.

Why this mushroom is called that is probably only clear to mycologists. The most beautiful cobweb is far from the most beautiful representative of the mushroom kingdom. Besides, he is very dangerous, and it is better to avoid him when meeting him. What does it look like and where does it grow?

The most beautiful cobweb (Cortinarius rubellus or Cortinarius speciosissimus), belonging to the family Cobweb, genus Cobweb, has another name - reddish cobweb. The common people used to call him also a marshman. This is a dangerous and poisonous lamellar mushroom.

• The cap is medium-sized, quite thick, with a diameter of 3 to 8 cm (in some cases it grows up to 10 cm). Bell-shaped or conical in shape - in young fruiting bodies, and flattened-convex with a central tubercle, sharp or blunt - in adults. The surface is finely scaly and dry to the touch. The skin color is brown-red, orange-red, brown, depending greatly on climatic conditions and weather. The peculiarity of this web spider is the existence of two of its subspecies. The first has a cap with a darker center, from which concentric circles of a reddish hue radiate. Towards the edge of the cap its color becomes lighter. The second, on the contrary, has a lighter center, pinkish-red, and the concentric circles extending from it are more dark color, but the edges are always lighter;
• the leg is dense, from 5 to 12 cm high, 5-15 mm thick. Cylindrical, sometimes thickens towards the lower part, forming a club-shaped base. The surface color is orange-brown; in the lower part of the leg there are ochre-colored rims - these are the remains of a bedspread. In mature mushrooms they are almost invisible. The surface is distinctly fibrous;
• the pulp is tasteless and yellow or orange in color. It has a radish smell, which in some cases may be absent;
• the plates are relatively dense, adherent to the stem. Their color ranges from orange to brown, and can be rusty brown in mature webworts;
• spores in the shape of a wide ellipse, almost spherical, warty. They have a rusty brown color.

Distribution and fruiting period

The beautiful spider web is widespread and quite common in the northern regions with temperate climate. Widely known in Europe, in the north and central part of Russia. Grows in coniferous, mixed, swampy wet forests, often on acidic soils. Forms mycorrhiza with birch and spruce trees.

This type of spider plant bears fruit from the end of May until September. Found both in groups and alone.

Similar species

The beautiful spider web can be confused with the dangerous and poisonous mountain spider web (Cortinarius orellanus). However, these two species can be distinguished by the rings on the leg - in the mountain, the remains of the bedspread in the form of red rims at the base are not visible. And it grows in deciduous forests near beech and oak trees.

Also, the hero of our article can easily be confused by an inexperienced mushroom picker with the straight web spider (Cortinarius collinitus). It does not smell like radish and has a straight, light-colored stem. This is an edible mushroom, and therefore you need to be very careful when collecting - a mistake can cost you your health.

In general, it is important to note that almost all spider webs are easy to confuse with each other - they are very similar.

Virulence

The beautiful spider web is a deadly poisonous mushroom. It contains orellanins - substances that can cause irreversible changes in kidney tissue. They can lead to death, which sometimes overtakes a person 5 months after eating this type of spider web.

Orellanins act very slowly and gradually cause the development of renal failure. There are also other toxic compounds present in mushrooms - benzonine, cortinarine and others. Signs of cobweb poisoning appear only 3-14 days after eating mushrooms - thirst, burning and dry mouth. The person's condition is deteriorating very quickly. It is necessary to call doctors immediately.

Moreover, it is important to know that representatives of this species, even after thorough cooking or drying, still remain poisonous. And treatment after spider web poisoning sometimes lasts more than one month.

It is interesting that until the 60s of the 20th century, the beautiful cobweb was considered a completely harmless mushroom - it was eaten. But when a number of poisonings were registered in Poland (and some of them were fatal), scientists determined that it was this species that caused them. Therefore, when you meet him, just leave the “handsome guy” where he is.

• Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
• Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
• Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
• Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
• Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
• Family: Cortinariaceae (Cobwebs)
• Genus: Cortinarius (Spiderweb)
• View: Cortinarius orellanus (Orange-red spiderweb)

Other names for the mushroom:

Other names:

• Mountain gossamer

• Cobweb orange-red

Description:
The orange-red cobweb (Cortinarius orellanus) has a dry, matte cap, covered with small scales, 3-8.5 cm in diameter, at first hemispherical, then flat, with an inexpressive tubercle, orange or brown-red with a golden tint. All of them are non-slip, always dry fruiting bodies, a felt-silky cap and a slender, not thickened leg. The plates are colored from orange to rusty brown.

Spreading:
Cobweb orange-red- comparatively rare view. In some countries it has not yet been discovered. In Europe it grows mainly in autumn (sometimes at the end of summer) in deciduous and occasionally in coniferous forests. It forms mycorrhiza mainly with oak and birch. Most often appears on acidic soils. Learn to recognize this extremely dangerous mushroom very difficult, because there are many similar types; because of this, even for a specialist, identifying the orange-red web is not an easy task.

Note:

Cobweb orange-red - deadly poisonous. Contains a toxic substance orellanin, which causes pathological changes in the kidneys. Signs of poisoning appear 3-14 days after eating the mushroom. The mushroom retains its toxic properties after boiling in water or drying.

Orange-red cobweb, like other species, was considered a harmless mushroom until I960. The prevailing opinion was that among the huge number of spider webs (more than 400 species grow in Europe alone), there are only bitter inedible species and the species are relatively tasty and suitable for food.

However, after frequent poisonings that occurred in Poland, many of which turned out to be fatal, it was possible to establish that the culprit was the orange-red cobweb - a radish-smelling and pleasant-tasting mushroom. During chemical analysis, several toxic compounds- orellanine, cortinarine, benzoinine, etc. Eating this and other types of spider webs is especially dangerous because the first signs of poisoning do not appear immediately, but after quite a while long time- from 3 to 24 days. Then there is a rapid deterioration in the person’s condition, impaired renal function and death.

Orange-red cobweb (lat. Cortinarius orellanus) is a species of mushroom that is part of the genus Cortinarius of the Cortinariaceae family. Deadly poisonous, contains slow-acting toxins that cause kidney failure.

Other names:

• Mountain gossamer
• Plush web spider

Grows in deciduous and coniferous forests. Fruits in September - October.

The cap is 3-10 cm in ∅, first convex, then flat, orange-red or orange-brown, the skin is covered with small, dark, fibrous scales.

The pulp is yellowish or brownish, with a rare odor and tasteless.

The plates are sparse, adherent to the stem, wide, thick, bright orange-brown. Spore powder is yellow-brown. The spores are ellipsoidal and warty.

The leg is up to 9 cm long, 1-2 cm ∅, dense, cylindrical, slightly narrowed towards the base, yellowish, without bands. The webs (cortina) of young mushrooms are golden yellow, then darken.

The mushroom is deadly poisonous. Contains a toxic substance orellanin, which causes pathological changes in the kidneys. Signs of poisoning appear 3-14 days after eating the mushroom. The mushroom retains its toxic properties after boiling in water or drying.