Cinnabar Webcap

Cinnabar webcap (Cortinarius cinnabarinus) is a brightly colored mushroom in the family Cortinariaceae, found in deciduous and mixed woodland across Europe. It produces vivid cinnabar-red to orange-red fruiting bodies with a conical to broadly convex cap, red gills that turn cinnamon-brown with age, and a red stipe with a cobwebby cortina (partial veil) characteristic of the genus Cortinarius. The species grows in mycorrhizal association with broadleaf trees, particularly beech (Fagus) and oak (Quercus), fruiting in late summer and autumn. The cinnabar webcap is classified as Vulnerable in European red lists, reflecting population declines associated with loss of mycorrhizal host trees, changes in forest management, soil acidification, and nitrogen deposition. The genus Cortinarius is the largest genus of agaric fungi in the Northern Hemisphere, with thousands of species, many of which are poorly studied. Like other webcaps, Cortinarius cinnabarinus is inedible and some Cortinarius species are highly toxic. Its striking red coloration is unusual within the genus and makes it relatively easy to identify in the field. Conservation of old-growth and mature beech forest in Europe is critical for sustaining populations of this and many other mycorrhizal fungi. Ectomycorrhizal fungi like webcaps provide essential nutrient exchange services to forest trees.