Spider mushroom, very common all over the world, only in our area, there are more than forty (!) species. Of all this diversity, only two species are considered edible - the superb cobweb and the watery-blue cobweb. The rest are unsuitable for consumption, and over ten species are completely poisonous. Therefore, we recommend that you do not collect these mushrooms unless you are a super experienced and confident mushroom picker, although even in this case, there are many others worthy of attention mushrooms, which are less dangerous. Spider webs grow throughout the CIS countries, from Siberia to the European part of the countries, in coniferous and deciduous forests. One of the main differences between these mushrooms is their very bright, even rather acidic, color. The colors of the coloring are varied, and they are given names based on this coloring, for example: white-purple webwort, red-scaled webwort, blue-stemmed webwort, watery-blue webwort, purple webwort, and so on on the list.

The mushroom took its name from another of its features: young fruiting bodies have a veil-like film at the junction of the cap and stem of the mushroom. When the mushroom grows, this film will stretch and tear into separate threads that will resemble a cobweb. When they become old, this feature often disappears, or remains in the form of a ring on the stem.

It is worth emphasizing once again the danger and insidiousness of these mushrooms; often their poison does not act immediately, but sometimes even after two weeks, which makes it difficult to diagnose poisoning and complicates the task of doctors. The cobweb is often disguised as other mushrooms, such as russula and valui. Remember that honey mushrooms do not grow on the ground, it will most likely be a spider plant.

Let's talk a little about distinctive features of these mushrooms and we will show you photos so that you stay away from such forest inhabitants.

Yellow cobweb

  • Hat: Its diameter varies within 10 centimeters; in young representatives of the species it is hemispherical, later in the process of aging it becomes cushion-shaped. They often remain with traces of the “web” throughout their entire life.
  • Color: Yellow-orange in the center, often darker than at the edges.
  • Pulp: Thick, soft to the touch, white in color, with a yellowish tint.
  • Plates: They usually look thin and weakly expressed, the color of the plates in young spider web mushrooms is light cream as the mushroom ages, the color of the plates also changes, it becomes darker and duller.
  • Leg: About 12 centimeters high, sometimes a little higher, about 2.5 centimeters thick. It has a characteristic thickening at the bottom, but as the mushroom ages, this feature disappears.
  • Can it be eaten?: Most Western experts and books consider these mushrooms to be inedible, but domestic experts insist that this is a very tasty mushroom and can be safely consumed.

Gossamer violet

  • Hat: about 14 centimeters in diameter, has a convex shape.
  • Color: very bright, acid purple.
  • Pulp: At first it has a blue tint, but as the mushroom matures and ages, it becomes white.
  • Plates: Have purple, even rather a darker shade, they are rare and wide.
  • Leg: About 14 centimeters high, about 2 centimeters thick.
  • Edibility: the mushroom is very rare, so not only can it not be eaten, it cannot even be picked, it is listed in the Red Book.

Orange cobweb:

  • Cap: About eight centimeters in diameter, its surface is wavy, always wet, and after rain sticky mucus appears on it.
  • Color : Light brown, in summer time, when the sun is quite intense, the cap turns simply yellow.
  • Plates: Brown, wide and frequent, brown.
  • Leg: It has a round shape, widens towards the bottom and has the appearance of a tuber. Its height reaches ten centimeters, its diameter is one and a half centimeters.
  • Edibility: Orange cobwebs are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms; they must first be boiled and then fried.

Purple cobweb:

  • Hat: It has a diameter of about fifteen centimeters, a convex shape, over time it becomes wider, the structure is fibrous, and has an adhesive surface.
  • Color: Red-brown, sometimes also has an olive-brown tint.
  • Plates: They grow to the stalk with a special tooth. The color varies with age; when young it is purple, becoming yellow-brown over time.
  • Leg: Dense, its color is purple.
  • Pulp: has a bluish tint, after you break it off it turns purple at the break point.
  • Crimson cobweb can be found in coniferous forests and deciduous forests; it belongs to the category of conditionally edible mushrooms; they are consumed in both fresh and pickled mushrooms.

Cobweb spider brilliant:

  • Cap: its diameter is about ten centimeters, has a bulge, and has a characteristic slimy, sticky surface when it rains.
  • Pulp: thick, has a loose structure, its color is pale yellow.
  • Plates: the mushroom has wide plates, yellow in color, over time they change their color towards a rusty hue.
  • Leg: it is about ten centimeters long, a little more than one and a half centimeters thick. Towards the bottom there is a thickening in the form of a tuber.
  • The common spider web is shiny, mainly in forests where there are many coniferous trees, it can be eaten.

Bracelet web:

This type of mushroom is often confused with safer and delicious mushrooms. It is often confused with mushrooms such as topi, goat mushroom, and moss mushroom. This often has bad consequences; of course, the mushroom does not belong to the category of inedible, much less to the category of poisonous, but it can also be classified as edible very conditionally. It is very tasteless and hard on the body. Apart from its beautiful appearance, it is not distinguished by anything good.

  • Cap: Often of very varied sizes, from eight to twenty centimeters, it all depends on the circumstances under which this mushroom grew.
  • Color: binary, from light to dark, it is light in the center, becoming darker than brick color towards the edge, or ocher - yellow.
  • Plates: sparse and with wide sections, the edge is distinctly wavy.
  • To do bracelet web spider Edible, it needs to be boiled for a very long time, and at the same time drain the boiled water and squeeze out the mushrooms; it is eaten only fresh; it is not suitable for preparation.

Variable cobweb:

  • Hat: yellow gloss color, its size reaches eight centimeters in diameter, early age as you can see in the photo above, the cap has the shape of a hemisphere, after becomes flatter for some time.
  • Leg: white, its length reaches ten centimeters, its average thickness is quite impressive and exceeds two centimeters.
  • Plates: when young, the mushroom has a lilac tint, but with age they become pale and acquire a brown tint.
  • Edibility: It is classified as conditionally edible; it is eaten fresh and also pickled.

The web spider is excellent:

  • Hat: its diameter reaches impressive sizes, up to twenty centimeters. It has a dense, fleshy structure; in young individuals the cap has the shape of a hemisphere, becoming flatter with age.
  • Color: This mushroom is distinguished by the variable color of the cap; at a young age it is purple, closer to a dark shade, later it acquires a chestnut hue, the edge has a purple rim.
  • Leg: the tall one reaches fifteen centimeters, has a dense structure, at the end there is a tuber, weakly expressed. The leg is bluish-violet in color.
  • Edibility: The spider web is excellent, eaten in all forms, but it is best obtained in pickled form. This type of mushroom is comparable to porcini mushrooms in terms of safety. BUT YOU SHOULD BE COLLECTING THIS MUSHROOM WITH Especial CARE, BECAUSE IT HAS A LOT OF APPEARINGLY SIMILAR DOUBLES, WHICH ARE OFTEN VERY DANGEROUS, AND THEIR CONSUMPTION CAN RESULT IN FATALITY. THEREFORE THIS MUSHROOM IS COLLECTED ONLY BY EXPERIENCED MUSHROOMS PICKERS.

Cobweb brown photo:

Conditionally edible mushroom, consumed fresh.

Cobweb smeared photo:

It is boiled for at least half an hour before heating.

Gossamer webwort:

It needs to be boiled, then the broth is drained, then the mushroom is salted or pickled.

Scaly cobweb:

A little-known edible mushroom, it is consumed fresh.

As you can see spider web mushrooms a lot, many of them are conditionally edible, some are even quite suitable for cooking, but remember that more types, poisonous and inedible, therefore we categorically do not recommend collecting such mushrooms for beginners. We hope our article, photo and description of the spider web mushroom, will help you recognize this mushroom on a quiet hunt, admire it, take a photo and pass by, because your health is priceless, with this we say goodbye to you, we wish you success and good health, there was a site with you.

Kira Stoletova

One of the most common types of mushrooms in the temperate zone is the spider web mushroom. It belongs to the group of conditionally edible mushrooms. The genus Cobweb from the cobweb family of the same name is dangerous because there are poisonous varieties.

Appearance

The mushroom got its name because of the white “skirt” that falls down the stem and resembles a spider’s web. The popular name “Pribolotnik” does not reflect the range of the species, although sometimes it is an absolutely swamp resident. It grows in all types of forests in a variety of soils. This is an autumn genus, with peak growth occurring in late August and early September.

Species of Cobwebs are similar to each other in a number of ways:

  1. Cylindrical leg with extension downwards.
  2. Remains of a private web-like covering on the upper part of the leg.
  3. The cap is usually conical or flat in shape, with plates.
  4. The pulp is dense and fragrant.

The species of cobwebs differ in the color of the stem and cap, and the smell of the pulp. Among them there are both edible and poisonous representatives.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

The name of the family Cobwebs was given by the French mycologist and phytopathologist of tropical plants Jean Aime Roger (1900-1979), who proceeded from the specific structure of the private bedspread, consisting of cobweb fibers connecting the edge of the cap with the stem.

Most arachnoids are mycorrhiza-formers, the life processes of which are associated with certain tree species. Among the spider webs there are deadly poisonous specimens. However, there are also useful edible species. However, they are few in number and do not have much practical significance. Characteristic feature The genus Cobweb is the different colors of young and mature specimens, the presence of a rapidly disappearing purple pigment in many species.

By the way. The genus Cobweb is divided into subgenera, which have their own specific features, For example:

  • subgenus Myxsacium: there is a common mucous blanket that causes the cap and stalk to be mucous.
  • subgenus Phlegmacium: a mucous cap is present.
  • subgenera Hydrocybe And Telamonia: the cap is hygrophanic.
  • subgenera Dermocybe And Inoloma: the cap is dry, scaly, fibrous.

Types of mushroom

The genus includes about 25 species. They differ in taste and degree of safety for humans. Some are listed in the Red Book.

Edible species

  • Edible cobweb, or bbw: The species lives in coniferous plantations. The cap is white-gray, the surface is watery. The pulp is dense and has a faint mushroom smell. The plates are frequent and adhere to the cap. Edible cobweb is a type of mushroom often found in temperate coniferous forests. In Russia it is found in the European part. You can also find it in Belarus.

The edible cobweb is characterized by a smooth, dense, whitish-brown leg, in the middle (located in the center) there are remnants of the cortina (private web cover), which disappear with age. The length of the leg is usually 2-3 cm with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm, which sharply distinguishes this species from other representatives of the genus.

  • Cobweb watery blue, or dove blue: This species in Russia is known only in Primorye. However, it is widespread in North America and the countries of the European continent.
  1. The cap is uniformly colored blue-gray, diameter up to 10 cm.
  2. The smell is unpleasant, musty.
  3. The taste is fresh.
  4. There is no tuber-shaped thickening on the stem.

Grows under different deciduous trees, but more often under beech and oak. Growth is more group or colonial. Also, adult individuals lack the remains of the veil.

The species of triumphal cobweb is also considered edible. But due to reduced taste qualities it should be classified as conditionally edible.

Conditionally edible

The difference between this group and edibles is that conditionally edibles require pre-processing. They should not be eaten raw; it is not recommended to eat them fried without prior soaking.

  • Triumphal cobweb, or yellow has the following characteristics:
  1. The cap reaches 7-12 cm in diameter, is brownish in the center and orange-yellow at the edges. The shape is flat or pillow-like. Usually the surface is sticky.
  2. The pulp has a pleasant smell.
  3. In young mushrooms, the “web” completely covers the plates. With age, the plates darken to a brownish color.
  4. The diameter of the stem is 1 cm. Large fruiting bodies have a stem up to 3 cm in diameter. Height up to 15 cm.

This species lives in deciduous forests. They find it under birch and oak trees. Often accompanied by milk mushrooms.

  • Slime cobweb: The main difference from other species is the presence of mucus that abundantly covers the cap. Individuals grow large - up to 12 cm in diameter of the cap, the corresponding leg is up to 20 cm in length.

The pulp of this species is odorless and tasteless. Color varies from white to cream. The mushroom is found in conifers and mixed forests.

Attention! Do not confuse the slimy spider web species with the slimy spider web species.

  • Slimy cobweb: the cap is covered with a mucous cobwebby blanket. The mucus is thick and sometimes even hangs from the uneven edges of the cap. The cap is thinner at the edges than in the center. The color ranges from orange to dark brown. The pulp is white, loose. Also smaller in size fruiting bodies. The species is characterized by the formation of mycorrhiza with pine plantings.
  • The web spider is excellent: its feature is appearance hats and legs. In adults, the cap is similar to a bell, rich brown or brown in color. The diameter of the cap is up to 20 cm. The stem is long, clearly expanding downward from a cylinder into a cone. The surface of the fruiting body is soft and velvety. In adult mushrooms, they become wrinkled. A thin violet-gray stripe remains along the edges of the cap. The pulp is white or mixed with blue. It has a pleasant smell and taste. The species bears fruit in large groups and is more often found near birch or beech trees. Prefers deciduous forests. By the way. This is a little studied species.
  • Bracelet web, or red: distinguished by the red or reddish-brown color of the cap. There is no mucus on it. The pulp has a characteristic musty odor. Prefers damp and mossy places. Found in mycorrhiza with pine or birch trees. The bracelet cobweb is identified by the bright “bracelets” on the stem left from the cobweb cover (cortina) and by the dark fibers on the cap.
  • Purple cobweb: got its name because of the peculiarity of the pulp. When cut, it acquires a purple color, but when whole it is usually bluish or gray. The surface of the cap is sticky. The characteristics of young and adult individuals differ significantly:
  1. In adults, the cap is flat, slightly concave at the edges. The plates are frequent, with a purple tint. The diameter of the cap is up to 15 cm. The stem is long, with a tuber at the very bottom. The color of the stem is purple, and the cap is olive, brown or brownish with impurities.
  2. Young individuals have a spherical cap that practically merges with the stem. The leg itself is barrel-shaped.
  • Gossamer webwort: differs from other brethren in the whitish color of the legs with a bluish or pinkish tint. The cap is light brown in color and prefers deciduous forests. The musty smell of the pulp is faint.
  • Variable cobweb: received its name due to the change in color during growth. In adults and mature individuals, the colors of the legs and caps are different. A more common name is " colorful mushroom" Usually the fruiting bodies are small, with an elongated stalk. The cap is brown or golden along the edge and lowered. The plates are light purple. There is a brownish-red stripe on the leg. In old mushrooms, the plates turn pale and turn brown. The leg is usually white or cream in color. The species bears fruit mainly in the south and east in deciduous plantations.

Poisonous species

  • Poisonous cobweb: This species is found as often as the edible cobweb. It is precisely because of the abundance of dangerous doubles that the edible type of mushroom does not attract even a knowledgeable mushroom picker.
  • Blue-banded cobweb: it is dangerous because its appearance is practically no different from an edible fruit. A hat with a lump in the center, gray shade with brown. Its lower concave edge has a purple or blue stripe. The pulp is odorless and tasteless. It also forms mycorrhiza with coniferous trees. Inedible.
  • Common spiderwort: characterized by a brown or golden color of the cap. It has a cone-shaped shape, the edge is uneven, and the surface is mucous. The plates may be uneven. Common cobwebs often have spiral-shaped bands on the stalk, which distinguish the poisonous fruiting body from the edible one.
  • The most beautiful cobweb: is fatal poisonous looking, it has a uniform brownish or reddish-orange color. The legs are long, and the caps are cone-shaped with uneven, torn edges. There is a protruding tubercle in the center of the cap. The most beautiful cobweb usually grows in groups.
  • Goat's web, or goat, or smelly: bright blue or gray color, sometimes more blue. A peculiarity of the species is the presence of the chemical odor of acetone or a “goat” odor. The hat and leg are the same color. The smell only intensifies with heat treatment. Goat's web grows in the same coniferous and mossy forests.
  • Lazy cobweb: has a characteristic cap color - reddish with crimson splashes. It grows in groups in symbiosis with birch and pine. Often the cap and stem are crooked, twisted or broken, with cracks. It is the irregularities and color that distinguish the species Lazy Spider from edible mushrooms.

  • Cobweb spider brilliant: the cap has a bright yellow or ocher color. The color of the pulp when cut is lemon, does not darken. The plates of adults are greenish. The cap is covered with mucus. The toxin in the pulp acts slowly, so poisoning will not be immediately noticeable.
  • Mountain spiderwort, or plush, or orange-red: a rare species characterized by the following characteristics:
  1. Outwardly it looks like a beautiful spider web, but it deceives with its pleasant radish smell and good taste.
  2. Danger of the species - poisoning appears 3 days after consumption.
  3. It has a uniform, even color of orange or light brown. The surface is soft and velvety.

Identifying an inedible species is not easy, so don't risk taking a nice-smelling fruiting body into your basket.

  • Scaly cobweb: looks similar to the edible species. It is distinguished by its brownish-brown color and dark brown scales on the cap. There is a dark spot in the center of the cap. The stalk also has dark brown scales, often at the bottom. The smell is weak but pleasant.

Also considered inedible the following types cobweb:

  • p. chestnut (saffron);
  • n. soiling;
  • n. most elegant;
  • n. membranous;
  • n. most special.

Inedible species destroy the kidneys with their toxins, resulting in intoxication of the body.

Beneficial features

They are limited to standard indicators for mushrooms. This is the presence of protein, vitamins and microelements in the fruiting bodies. They contain more vitamins A and group B than fruits and vegetables.

Contraindications

Even edible mushrooms contraindicated:

  1. Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 7-8 years old.
  2. People with a weak stomach, intestines, suffering from various abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract.
  3. People with individual intolerance.

You cannot eat edible mushrooms collected within the city and near busy highways, factories, and the private sector.

Application

Cooking

Edible spider web mushrooms are considered a delicacy; they have a wonderful nutty taste. Tolstushka is delicious fried or stewed with sour cream or cream. Decoctions from the plum are used to make broth. The edible fruiting bodies are also pickled and dried, but this can result in the loss of much of the flavor.

The excellent cobweb is dried or pickled only after long soaking and boiling. Young specimens are suitable for pickling and salting. For your information. The shiny coating on the cap of the purple cobweb species disappears when dried.

Medicine

Used to obtain probiotics and extract valuable microelements. In industry, dyes are extracted from colored fruiting bodies. The species cannot be used in home medicine.

We offer a description and photo of the spider web various types and varieties - this information will help diversify quiet forest hunting and make it more productive.

Look at the poisonous and edible spider web mushroom in the photo and try to find it in the forest during your next outing:

Spider web mushroom in the photo

Spider web mushroom in the photo

The mushroom is edible. Description of the spider web mushroom: white-violet: caps 3-10 cm, initially spherical, pale purple, then silvery or lavender, hemispherical with a tubercle, and finally open. The plates remain for a long time under a powerful cobwebby blanket connecting the edge of the cap to the stem. The plates are sparse, adherent to the teeth, initially gray-blue, rusty-ochre after the veil opens. The leg is 5-12 cm long, 1-2 cm long, white-violet or covered with white-violet cotton wool, widened at the bottom. The flesh is pale lilac, has no unpleasant odor.

Spider web mushrooms in the photo and description are presented in various versions, this will allow you to recognize them in the forest:

It grows very abundantly in lingonberries and blueberries, among mosses in meadows and on the edge of pine forests. Sometimes it appears in dry deciduous forest belts, where it is thicker and has a smoother surface.

Its counterpart, the inedible goat's web spider (Cortinarius traganus), differs from it in the presence of the smell of acetylene.

The white-purple cobweb is edible after preliminary boiling.

Let's consider other edible spider web mushrooms that grow in forests middle zone Russia. All edible spider web mushrooms with photos and descriptions must be distinguished from poisonous specimens, since they pose a mortal danger.

Bracelet web plant
The web spider is excellent

Bracelet web spider (Cortinarius armillatus)

Bracelet web grows in deciduous and coniferous forests

Cobweb bracelet in the photo

The mushroom is edible. The cap is up to 5-12 cm, at first red-brick hemispherical, covered with cobwebs, then rusty-brown, open in the form of a lampshade, and finally open, fibrous with a thin edge. The leg is cylindrical or club-shaped, light brown, 6-4 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, decorated with brick-red bracelets. The pulp is ocher and has no unpleasant odor. The spore powder is rusty brown.

Grows in deciduous and mixed forests under birch and in pine forests among the mosses.

Fruits from August to October.

It differs from inedible spider webs by the presence of orange stripes on the stem and the absence of an unpleasant odor.

The mushroom is edible, but tasteless. Suitable as a filler for dishes and preparations made from other mushrooms.

Excellent webweed (Cortinarius praestans)

The mushroom is edible. The caps are up to 3-12 cm, at first spherical, closed with a cobweb, then hemispherical, finally open, in wet weather they are very slimy and sticky, when dry they are smooth, brown or the color of “burnt sugar”. The plates are thick whitish with a purple tint or yellowish. Leg 5-15 cm, whitish, widened below. The pulp is white, dense with a pleasant smell.

It grows mainly in deciduous forests, but is also found in coniferous forests. Prefers calcareous soil.

Fruits from July to October.

It differs from inedible and poisonous spider webs by the absence of an unpleasant odor.

If you are not sure that you know this mushroom, it is better not to collect it.

In some countries, the excellent cobweb mushroom is valued on a par with porcini mushrooms.

Above we looked at what spider webs look like that are suitable for consumption, and now it’s their turn inedible species. It is worth knowing that the poisonous cobweb mushroom is very dangerous, as it can be fatal.

Look at what the poisonous cobweb looks like in the photo, remember it and under no circumstances pick it up in the forest:

Lazy web spider
Lazy web spider

Goat's web
Common spiderwort

Lazy web spider (Cortinarius bolaris)

Lazy web spider in the photo

Lazy web spider in the photo

The mushroom is inedible. Caps up to 3-8 cm, initially hemispherical, then convex and finally open, clay-yellow, densely covered with large red or red-orange scales. In young mushrooms, the scales are glued to the surface of the cap, yellow the surface is visible only as small gaps between the red scales. In mature mushrooms, the scales spread over the surface of the cap and lag behind it at the edge. The plates are clay-yellow, then brown, turning red when damaged. The stalk is 5-7 cm long, 5-15 mm thick, cylindrical, reddish-fibrous, often scaly, like a cap. The pulp is whitish with a brownish tint. Spore powder is yellow-green.

Grows in deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests on acidic soil.

Fruits from August to September.

It has no poisonous counterparts.

Goat's web spider (Cortinarius traganus)

The mushroom is inedible. Massive caps 3-12 cm, at first, spherical and lilac, then hemispherical and, finally, open ocher, with a fringed edge. The plates are ocher-yellow with a violet tint, later brownish-ocher. The leg is lilac or yellow, with scales, 5-10 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, with a widening at the bottom. The flesh of young mushrooms is white-blue, then ocher with an unpleasant “goat” smell of acetylene.

It grows very abundantly in deciduous and coniferous forests, in shelterbelts, often in large groups.

Fruits from August to October.

The goat's web has no poisonous counterparts.

Goat's web is inedible due to the unpleasant odor of acetylene.

Common spiderwort (Cortinarius triviah)

The edibility of the mushroom is questionable. Caps up to 5-8 cm, initially hemispherical, then convex or open, mucous yellow-rusty-brown, straw-yellow when dry. The plates are white-gray with a purple tint, later rusty-brown. The leg is yellow or with a bluish tint, 8-12 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, covered with mucus in the upper part, with dark zones in the lower part. The flesh is light, whitish-ochre, and in old mushrooms it has a slight unpleasant odor.

Grows in deciduous and mixed forests under poplars, birches, oaks and pines.

Fruits in large quantities from July to September.

Looks like an inedible mucous webweed (Cortinarius mucosus) with a white stalk.

The common spiderwort is not designated as poisonous mushroom, but its edibility is in doubt.

Taxonomy:
  • 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 caerulescens (Blue-blue webweed)

This type of mushroom has several Russian and Latin synonyms:

  • Blue web spider;

  • Gossamer blue;

  • Cobweb watery blue;

  • Cobweb is bluish;

  • Phlegmacium caerulescens;

  • Cortinarius cumatilis

  • Cortinarius cyanus.

The blue-gray cobweb (Cortinarius caerulescens) belongs to the Cobweb family, is a representative of the genus.

External description

Blue-blue spiderwort (Cortinarius caerulescens) is a large mushroom consisting of a cap and a stalk, with a lamellar hymenophore. There is a residual coating on its surface. The diameter of the cap in adult mushrooms is from 5 to 10 cm; in immature mushrooms it has a hemispherical shape, which then becomes flat and convex. When it dries, it becomes fibrous and feels slimy to the touch. In young spider webs, the surface is characterized by a blue tint, gradually becoming lightish-ocher, but at the same time a border of a bluish tint remains along its edge.

The mushroom hymenophore is of the lamellar type, consisting of flat elements - plates, fused to the stem with a notch. In young fruiting bodies of mushrooms of this species, the plates have a bluish tint; with age they darken, becoming brownish.

The length of the leg of the dove-blue web spider is 4-6 cm, and the thickness is from 1.25 to 2.5 cm. At its base there is visible to the eye tuberous thickening. The surface of the leg at the base is ocher-yellow in color, and the rest of it is bluish-violet.

Mushroom pulp is characterized by an unpleasant aroma, gray-blue color and bland taste. The spore powder is rusty brown in color. The spores included in its composition are characterized by dimensions of 8-12 * 5-6.5 microns. They are almond-shaped and the surface is covered with warts.

Season and habitat

The dove-blue web spider is widespread in the territories North America and in the countries of the European continent. The fungus grows in large groups and colonies, is found in mixed and broad-leaved forests, and is a mycorrhiza-former with many deciduous trees, including beech. On the territory of Russia it is found only in the Primorsky Territory. It forms mycorrhiza with various deciduous trees (including oaks and beeches).

Edibility

Despite the fact that the mushroom belongs to the rare category and can be seen infrequently, it is classified as edible.

Similar types and differences from them

Some scientists distinguish the name watery blue spiderwort (Cortinarius cumatilis) into a separate species. His distinctive feature is a uniformly colored cap of bluish-gray color. There is no tuberous thickening in it, as well as the remains of the veil.

The described type of mushroom has several similar species:

Mayor's web spider (Cortinarius mairei). It is distinguished by white hymenophore plates.

Cortinarius terpsichores and Cortinarius cyaneus. These varieties of mushrooms are distinguished from the dove-blue gossamer by the presence of radial fibers on the surface of the cap, a darker color, and the presence of remnants of a blanket on the cap, which disappear over time.

Cortinarius volvatus. This type of mushroom is characterized by a very small size and a characteristic dark blue color. It grows mainly under coniferous trees.

Taxonomy:
  • 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 salor(Gossamer blue)

Description:
The hat and blanket are slimy. 3-8 cm in diameter, initially convex, then flat, sometimes with a small tubercle, bright blue or bright bluish-violet, then from the center becomes grayish or pale brown, with a bluish or violet edge.

The plates are adherent, sparse, initially bluish or purple, remain that way for a very long time, then light brown.

Spores are 7-9 x 6-8 microns in size, broadly ellipsoidal to almost spherical, warty, yellow-brown.

The leg is slimy and dries out in dry weather. Bluish, bluish-violet, or lilac with ocher-greenish-olive spots, then whitish without bands. Size 6-10 x 1-2 cm, cylindrical or slightly thickened downward, closer to club-shaped.

The pulp is whitish, bluish under the skin of the cap, tasteless and odorless.

Spreading:
Grows in coniferous and deciduous forests, often with high humidity, prefers birch. On soil rich in calcium.

Similarities:
It is very similar to, grows with it and ends up in the baskets of inexperienced mushroom pickers along with the rows. It is similar to Cortinarius transiens, growing in coniferous forests on acidic soils, which is sometimes found in sources as Cortinarius salor ssp. transiens.

Grade:
Not edible.

Note:
Belongs to the subgenus Myxacium, which is characterized by a mucous cap, stalk and general veil. Among similar types, belongs to the section Delibui (Cortinarius delibutus), which combines mushrooms with plates in bluish-violet tones.