Cortinarius cumatilis

Cortinarius cumatilis

Cortinarius cumatilis (Cortinarius cumatilis Fr., 1838) is a symbiotic mushroom belonging to the Cortinariaceae family.

Systematics –
From the systematic point of view it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, Kingdom Fungi, Basidiomycota Division, Basidiomycetes Class, Order Agaricales, Family Cortinariaceae and then to the Genus Cortinarius, to the Subgenus Phlegmacium and to the Specie C. cumatilis.

Etymology –
The term Cortinarius comes from a curtain: with a curtain, due to the characteristic residues of the partial veil from the edge of the hat to the jamb. The specific epithet cumatilis derives from the Greek κῦμα kúma onda, wave: of green sea color.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Cortinarius cumatilis is a species that prefers acidic soils and grows mainly in symbiosis with conifers.

Recognition –
It is distinguished by having a hat of 6-10 cm, first hemispherical, then convex and finally plane-convex. The margin is involute and fibrillose. The cuticle is viscous, sericea, blue-violet, gray-purple, with ocher-bluish shades. The lamellae are dense, narrow, sinuous, adnate, whitish then brownish-grayish with violet hues, with the serrated edge and whitish color. The stem is 5-10 x 1-2 cm, first cylindrical, then slightly clawed, full, hard, fibrillose, white, covered by a more persistent violet veil at the base. The flesh is compact and whitish in color, odorless and with a sweet taste.
Microscopic analysis shows spores of 10-12 x 5.5-6.5 μm, from elliptic to amygdaliform, slightly verrucous.

Cultivation –
There are no crops of Cortinarius cumatilis.

Uses and Traditions –
Cortinarius cumatilis is a fungus very similar to Cortinarius praestans and is recognized for the purplish color of the hat, the whitish lamellae, compared to this it has lesser size, robust habit and the habitat under conifers. It is a beautiful species for its colors, without any definite problems, even if as a young person it could be remotely confused with just as young Cortinariu praestans, in any case a small microscopic check to the spores dissolves any doubt about it.
Of this mushroom exists a variety which is the Cortinarius cumatilis var. haasii (Moser) Quadr., which has bluish lamellae in the young specimens, thinner, bulbous stem at the base. Spores from amygdaliform to crippled, slightly warty, 9-11.5 x 5-6 μm. Calcicolous, prefers to grow under deciduous trees.
It is an edible mushroom.

Preparation Mode –
It is an edible mushroom that should be cooked preferably also mixed with other mushrooms.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Cetto B., 2008. Real mushrooms, Saturnia, Trento.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (edited by), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; there is therefore no liability for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.