Orellani

Descriptions

Deadly webcap ''(Cortinarius rubellus)''

Spore color: Rusty brown to orange

Cap: 3–7 cm rusty brown to orange. Often has a steeper and darker colored elevation at the top of the cap, but this varies greatly from specimen to specimen

Gills: Wide gaps between the gills which can be, but are not necessarily, connected to the stem

Location: Rare, but common in temperate parts of northern Europe. Has been encountered as far north as Finnish Lapland.

Habitat: pine woods with acidic soil

Other details: Young specimens contain a pale web between the cap and the stem. Sometimes parts of this web can be seen as a yellow ring on the stem or at the edge of the cap. The fruiting body of the mushroom blossoms from mid-summer to late autumn.

Cortinarius rainierensis, described in 1950 by Alex H. Smith and Daniel Elliot Stuntz from material collected Mount Rainier National Park, is a synonym.

Fool's webcap ''(Cortinarius orellanus)''

Spore color: Rusty brown to orange

Cap: 3–8.5 cm, concave

Gills: Similar to those of the deadly webcap

Location: Common throughout Europe, rare in the northern parts of Europe. Has been observed as far north as southern Norway

Habitat: In forests, around trees where the soil is alkaline or acidic

Other details: Young specimens of the fool's webcap also contain a web between the cap and the stem that partially or completely disappears as the specimen ages.

Toxicity

Main article: Orellanine

The deadly webcap and the fool's webcap both contain the toxin orellanine and orellin, orellinin and cortinarin A, B, and C. A characteristic of orellanine poisoning is the long latency; the first symptoms usually don't appear until 2–3 days after ingestion and can in some cases take as long as 3 weeks. The first symptoms of orellanine poisoning are similar to the common flu (nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, headaches, etc.). These symptoms are followed by early stages of kidney failure (immense thirst, frequent urination, pain on and around the kidneys), and eventually decreased or nonexistent urine output and other symptoms of kidney failure occur. If left untreated, death will follow. There is no known antidote against orellanine poisoning, but early hospitalization and treatment can sometimes prevent serious injuries and usually prevent death. If orellanine poisoning is suspected, emergency medical attention is advised.

Both of these mushrooms can be confused with each other and many incidents of mushroom poisoning have occurred where inexperienced mushroom hunters have confused these mushrooms with edible mushrooms, such as the chanterelle, or hallucinogenic mushrooms. Extreme care should be taken when picking mushrooms like the cleaned funnel chanterelles as these mushrooms share the same habitat as the deadly webcap and the fool's webcap.

The of orellanine in mice is 12-20 mg/kg body weight. From cases of orellanine-related mushroom poisoning in humans it seems that the lethal dose for humans is considerably lower.

Several more mushrooms in the genus Cortinarius are suspected to contain orellanine or other deadly toxins. Among them are C. callisteus and C. limonius.

Notable poisonings

In Poland in the 1950s there was a small epidemic where over 100 people became ill. What caused the illness remained a mystery until 1957 had eaten the mushroom Cortinarius orellanus.See:

• Alina Skirgiełło and Andrzej Nespiak (1957) "Erfahrungen mit Dermocybe orellana (Fr.) in Polen: A. Cortinarius (Dermocybe) orellanus Fr. non Quél. — cause d'intoxications fongiques en Pologne en 1952-55" (Experiences with Dermocybe orellana (Fr.) in Poland: A. Cortinarius (Dermocybe) orellanus Fr. non Quél. — cause of mushroom poisoning in Poland in 1952-55) Zeitschrift für Pilzkunde (Journal for Mycology), vol. 23, pages 138-139.
• Stanisław Grzymala (1957) "Erfahrungen mit Dermocybe orellana (Fr.) in Polen: B. Massenvergiftung durch den Orangefuchsigen Hautkopf. (Experiences with Dermocybe orellana (Fr.) in Poland: B. Mass poisoning by the orange-red web-cap), Zeitschrift für Pilzkunde, vol. 23, pages 139-142.

British author Nicholas Evans, his wife Charlotte Gordon Cumming, and two other relatives were accidentally poisoned in September 2008 after consuming C. rubellus and/or C. speciosissimus that they gathered on holiday. Although the poisoning was non-lethal, Evans and the others suffered severe renal damage and had to undergo kidney dialysis. All four victims were informed that they would require kidney transplants in the future. Several years later, Evans received a kidney donated by his daughter, Lauren.

References

References

1. Gasparini B. (2004). "''Cortinarius'' subgenus ''Orellani'' in Australia and in the world". Australasian Mycologist.
2. Smith AH, Stuntz DE. (1950). "New or noteworthy Fungi from Mt. Rainier National Park". Mycologia.
3. Christie P. Robertson. (May 1, 2006). "''Cortinarius rubellus'' Cooke from British Columbia, Canada and Western Washington, USA". Pacific Northwest Fungi.
4. Keeler 1991, p. 501
5. Keeler 1991, p. 507
6. (November 1996). "Magic mushrooms: hope for a 'cheap high' resulting in end-stage renal failure". Nephrol. Dial. Transplant..
7. (2004). "A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Fungi: A Handbook for Pharmacists, Doctors, and Biologists". CRC Press x.
8. Spoerke, David G.. (1994). "Handbook of Mushroom Poisoning: Diagnosis and Treatment". [[CRC Press]].
9. (1988). "Toxic properties of the mushroom Cortinarius orellanus". Archives of Toxicology.
10. Grice, Elizabeth. (August 2, 2011). "Nicholas Evans: 'I wanted to die. It was so grim'". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
11. (2012). "Irreversible renal damage from accidental mushroom poisoning". BMJ.
12. (September 2, 2008). ""Horse Whisperer" Author Poisoned By Mushrooms". [[The Huffington Post]].
13. Daoust, Phil. (September 16, 2010). "How to pick wild mushrooms". [[The Guardian]].