Cortinarius
genus of mushrooms
Cortinarius is a globally distributed genus of fungus in the family Cortinariaceae. Its members are commonly known by the names cortinar and webcap. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2,700 widespread species.
Young specimens have a cortina (veil) between the cap and the stem, hence the name. Most of the fibres of the cortina are ephemeral and leave no more than limited remnants on the stem or cap edge. All species have a rusty brown spore print. Several species (such as C. orellanus) are highly toxic and many species are difficult to distinguish, making their consumption inadvisable.
Taxonomy
Molecular studies of members of the genus Rozites, including its most famous member R. caperata, have shown them nested within Cortinarius and have been sunk into this genus. This genus was erected on the basis of a double veil, yet its members do not form a discrete lineage and lie nested within Cortinarius. Hence the genus is no longer recognised.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Cortinarius” is genus of mushrooms. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Cortinarius, genus and mushrooms, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “genus of mushrooms” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q306495. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cortinarius”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cortinarius primary sources, Cortinarius archive and Cortinarius research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cortinarius”?
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- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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This entry incorporates text from “Cortinarius” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.