Deadly Webcap vs Golden Chanterelle
Cortinarius rubellus and Cantharellus cibarius are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
Orellanine destroys the kidneys, with symptoms appearing 2–3 weeks after the meal — long after anyone suspects the mushroom.
One of the great wild edibles. Egg-yellow, apricot-scented, with blunt false gills running down the stem.
Side by side
| Cortinarius rubellus | Cantharellus cibarius | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Poisonous | Edible |
| Habitat | Damp conifer woodland on acid soil, usually with spruce or pine among moss and bilberry. | Mossy broadleaf and conifer woodland on acid soil, mycorrhizal with beech, oak, birch and pine. |
| Season | Late summer to autumn. | Summer to autumn. |
| Spore print | Rust-brown. | Pale yellow. |
The recorded spore prints differ: rust-brown for Cortinarius rubellus, pale yellow for Cantharellus cibarius. That is one documented difference, not a test you can pass.
This comparison cannot make a mushroom safe to eat. It sets out the few characteristics this game records, in general terms, for two species that vary by region, age and growing conditions. Real specimens overlap in ways no table and no photograph can separate, and the deadly one here is deadly in a single meal. Ask a qualified local expert, every time.
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Cortinarius rubellus is also confused with Fool's Webcap.
Cantharellus cibarius is also confused with Jack-o'-Lantern, Pale Chanterelle, Yellowfoot and Hedgehog Mushroom.
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