Cortinarius

From Freepedia

Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. It is suspected to be the largest genus of mushrooms, containing over a thousand different species. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a veil between the cap and the stem, protecting the gills. This cobweb like veil dissapears leaving little to no trace of itself as the mushroom grows. The spores of a Cortinarius mushroom are rusty brown to brownish red in color. It is usually possible to identify a mushroom as being a member of the genus, but extremely difficult to positively identify the species as many of the species are nearly identical.

It is suspected that most mushrooms in the genus Cortinarius are poisonous. Some are even lethal, such as Cortinarius rubellus and Cortinarius orellanus. Therefore, mushrooms from this genus should never be eaten nor tasted.

Many mushrooms in the genus are beautiful and colorful and are often used for dyeing.