The Cortinariaceae are a large family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of gilled mushrooms

Agaricales

The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...

 found worldwide, containing over 2100 species. The family takes its name from its largest genus, the varied species of the genus Cortinarius

Cortinarius

Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2000 different species and found worldwide. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina between the cap and the stem, hence the name,...

. Many genera formerly in the Corinariaceae have been placed in various other families, including Hymenogastraceae

Hymenogastraceae

The Hymenogastraceae is a family of fungi in the Agaricales.The blue-staining members of the genus Psilocybe form a clade that is sister to Galerina in the Hymenogastraceae; however, they have not yet been formally transferred....

, Inocybaceae

Inocybaceae

The Inocybaceae are a family of fungi in the Agaricales order. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 13 genera and 821 species. Members of this family have a widespread distribution in tropical and temperate areas.-Taxonomy:...

and Bolbitiaceae

Bolbitiaceae

The Bolbitiaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi. There are 17 genera and 171 species in the family.-Description:This family is of mushrooms that have a hymenium on gills, brown spores and a hymenoderm pileipellis.-Differences in genera:...

.

The deadly toxin orellanine

Orellanine

Orellanine or Orellanin is a pyridine N-oxide and a crystalline alkaloid that is found naturally in some lifeforms, specifically certain fungi. It is also a mycotoxin. It has been found in at least five species of mushrooms in the Cortinariaceae family....

 has been found in at least 34 Cortinariaceae. The equally deadly toxin amanitin

Amanitin

Amanitin may refer to several related amatoxins:* α-Amanitin* β-Amanitin* γ-Amanitin* ε-Amanitin...

 has also been found in at least 7 Cortinariaceae.

Taxonomic details

This is a family of mushrooms which has a hymenium

Hymenium

The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...

 on gills, a pileipellis

Pileipellis

thumb|300px||right|The cuticle of some mushrooms, such as [[Russula mustelina]] shown here, can be peeled from the cap, and may be useful as an identification feature....

 which
is a cutis, and spores which are brown in deposit. For most the genera in this family
the spores will also be ornamented.

Differences in genera

Cortinarius

Cortinarius

Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2000 different species and found worldwide. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina between the cap and the stem, hence the name,...

are mushrooms with warted spores, which are rusty-brown in deposit. Mushrooms in this genus have a partial veil which is a cortina

Cortina

-Things:* Cortina * Ford Cortina, a medium-sized family car built by Ford of Britain from 1962 to 1982**Lotus Cortina, a 1963–1968 performance variant on the above...

. These mushrooms are terrestrial and mycorrhizal, and can range from small to large and fleshy.

Edibility

Despite the vast number of species in Cortinariaceae, this group is not widely eaten, and is generally avoided. There are many toxic species in this group and few are highly prized.

Cortinarius is one of the largest mushroom families, but due to the large amount of inedible and toxic species, most authors recommend not eating any Cortinarius. At one point, the Polish ate the fool's webcap, Cortinarius orellanus, until, people began to get poisoned from eating the mushroom. It is now known that several Cortinarius species contain a deadly toxin, orellanine

Orellanine

Orellanine or Orellanin is a pyridine N-oxide and a crystalline alkaloid that is found naturally in some lifeforms, specifically certain fungi. It is also a mycotoxin. It has been found in at least five species of mushrooms in the Cortinariaceae family....

, which causes kidney failure. Most Cortinarius are either too small or unpleasant-tasting to eat, but some, such as the gypsy mushroom (Cortinarius caperatus

Cortinarius caperatus

Cortinarius caperatus, commonly known as the gypsy mushroom, is a highly esteemed edible mushroom of the genus Cortinarius found in northern regions of Europe and North America. It was known as Rozites caperata for many years, before genetic studies revealed it lay within the large genus Cortinarius...

) and the large and tasty Cortinarius praestans

Cortinarius praestans

Cortinarius praestans, also known as the goliath webcap, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Cortinarius. The mushroom has orangish-yellow caps that reach up to in diameter, and thick club-shaped stems up to long...

are highly esteemed, but some mycologists believe that no Cortinarius should be eaten.