Cobweb-Caps

cobweb-caps a family of fungi of which there are 230 species in Britain alone. The English name refers to the gossamer veil which protects the gills when the cap is in its unexpanded state, and which bears some resemblance to a spider’s web. This feature is the most noticeable characteristic of these mushrooms, which in other respects such as size and coloration vary to a bewildering extent. They occur in China and Australia as well as in Europe and N. America.

Although a German author lists 40 cobweb-caps as edible (plus five toxic ones), only a few of these fungi are eaten by any save dedicated enthusiasts. For example, Phillips (1981) gives a straightforward ‘edible’ rating to only one European species, Cortinarius violaceus. However, French and Italian sources also recommend the brown-capped C. praestans, while Scandinavian authorities give a high rating to C. crocolitus, which has a yellowish cap with a tawny centre. Serzhanina and Zmitrovich (1978) list no cobweb-caps as ‘officially edible’ in Russia but point to literary evidence of some being eaten.