A B C D E F G H I JK L M N O P QR S T UV WXYZ
Cap: 1-5 cm broad, rounded, bumpy to almost lobed, smooth, tan to yellow-brown, slimy when wet; stem: 0.5-4 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, extending up through cap, often swollen towards base, white to tan with brownish stains; spore mass: Enclosed, containing folds, hollows and cavities, yellowish, darkening to dark brown with age; spores: Spore print not obtainable, spores 12-16 x 8-10 microns, golden brown, broadly ellipsoid, thick-walled, warted with a pointed tip on one end. -TW
Edibility: has a strong smell of maraschino cherries that has been used in some culinary experiments; very small amounts are required to impart the strong smell to an omelette, syrup, or sauce. I have no information on eating any real quantity of this mushroom, but cooks and chefs from Colorado and Montana have experimented with it as a flavoring. Some collections, especially older ones, may have a less agreeable yeasty aroma. Like many truffle-like fungi, ripeness is critical—but fleeting. -LE
Substrate and ecology: These mushrooms have been found in coniferous forests, often with deciduous undergrowth. Spruce and fir are common associates. They are not common, but regularly turn up at fall forays in Montana and in late August in Colorado. Distribution: While related species are found in the eastern US, C. pinguis is only reported west of the Rockies. -LE
Notes: This strong-smelling, wet-looking mushroom has turned up on forays from Glacier National Park to the mountains of southern Colorado. Although the gills never properly open up, and spores are not forcefully discharged, C. pinguis still retains the cap-and-stalk appearance of a “regular” basidiomycete. Mushrooms like this are collectively referred to as “secotioid” fungi. These secotioid members of the Cortinariaceae are attractive to squirrels and small mammals. They have turned up in squirrel cone caches, and I’ve found several specimens that had been nibbled. This is probably an important vector in spore dispersal, although another possibility is that the smell attracts invertebrates, which may feed on the fruiting bodies and disperse spores through their feces. -LE