Deadly Webcap (Cortinarius rubellus)

Edibility

Deadly

Lookalike Danger

4 / 5

Habitat

☠️ Conifer

Season

Aug – Oct🌱 Now

"Orange-brown cap with a cobweb veil. Kills kidneys weeks later. Killed a British hiker in 2008."

🌳 Host Trees & Plants

This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.

Conifer Forest

Pinaceae (generic)

Ectomycorrhizal

Generic conifer habitat — pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, or Douglas-fir. Shown when the species is reported from conifers without a specific tree.

Habitat

Coniferous forests, especially with spruce and pine, across Europe and North America. Late summer through fall.

Look for this on the ground

Spruce-fir duff

Short stiff dark-green needles, small pendant cones, montane feather moss.

Season Windows by Region

Region

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Glacier / Flathead NF

MT · 3,500–8,500 ft

Bitterroot / Sapphire

MT · 3,500–9,000 ft

Helena / Big Belts

MT · 4,000–8,500 ft

Gallatin / Madison

MT · 5,500–10,500 ft

Beartooth / Absaroka

MT · 5,000–12,000 ft

Sawtooth / Stanley Basin

ID · 6,000–10,500 ft

White Mountains / Apache-Sitgreaves

AZ · 6,500–11,400 ft

Clear Creek Canyon / Mayhem Gulch

5,500–8,500 ft

Jones Pass Road

8,000–11,000 ft

Gordon Gulch / Nederland

7,000–9,000 ft

Kenosha Pass

8,000–10,500 ft

Guanella Pass Corridor

9,000–12,000 ft

Vasquez Creek / Winter Park

8,500–11,000 ft

Gunnison NF North — Crested Butte

8,500–12,000 ft

Gunnison NF South — Almont/Pitkin

8,000–11,000 ft

Cottonwood Pass

9,000–12,000 ft

San Juan NF — Pagosa Corridor

7,500–11,000 ft

Ruby Mountains

NV · 6,000–11,387 ft

Spring Mountains / Mt Charleston

NV · 6,000–11,916 ft

Jarbidge Wilderness

NV · 6,500–10,839 ft

San Juan NF — Silverton/Durango

8,000–12,000 ft

Grand Mesa

9,000–11,000 ft

Glenwood Canyon / White River NF

6,500–9,500 ft

Vail / Eagle County

8,000–11,000 ft

Steamboat / Routt NF

7,000–10,000 ft

Pike NF South / Tarryall

7,500–10,500 ft

Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains

6,500–9,500 ft

Leadville / Arkansas Headwaters

9,000–12,000 ft

Poudre Canyon / Roosevelt NF

6,500–10,000 ft

Rampart Range / Palmer Divide

7,000–9,500 ft

Clearwater Mountains

ID · 2,500–7,500 ft

Boise Mountains

ID · 4,000–9,500 ft

Salmon River / Lemhi

ID · 4,500–10,000 ft

Sun Valley / Wood River

ID · 5,500–10,500 ft

Bighorn Mountains

WY · 5,500–13,000 ft

Bridger-Teton / Tetons

WY · 6,000–13,500 ft

Wind River Range

WY · 7,000–13,800 ft

Absaroka / Shoshone NF

WY · 6,000–12,500 ft

North Cascades

WA · 1,500–8,000 ft

Central Cascades / Snoqualmie

WA · 1,500–7,000 ft

Olympic Peninsula

WA · 500–6,000 ft

Gifford Pinchot / South Cascades

WA · 1,000–8,000 ft

Okanogan Highlands

WA · 2,500–7,500 ft

Mt Hood / North Oregon Cascades

OR · 2,000–8,000 ft

Central Oregon / Deschutes

OR · 3,500–9,000 ft

South Cascades / Klamath

OR · 4,000–9,000 ft

OR · 3,500–9,500 ft

OR · 4,000–8,000 ft

UT · 5,500–11,500 ft

UT · 7,000–13,500 ft

UT · 6,000–12,700 ft

Sangre de Cristo / Carson NF

NM · 7,000–13,100 ft

Jemez / Santa Fe NF

NM · 6,500–11,200 ft

Santa Fe / Pecos Wilderness

NM · 7,000–12,600 ft

Gila NF / Black Range

NM · 5,500–10,800 ft

Coconino / Flagstaff

AZ · 6,500–10,000 ft

Kaibab Plateau / North Rim

AZ · 6,500–9,200 ft

Northern Sierra / Tahoe

CA · 5,000–9,000 ft

Central Sierra / Alpine

CA · 6,000–11,000 ft

South Sierra / El Dorado

CA · 5,000–9,500 ft

Northeast CA / Modoc-Lassen

CA · 4,500–8,500 ft

Snake Range / Great Basin

NV · 6,000–13,063 ft

Monongahela National Forest

WV · 1,500–4,863 ft

Allegheny National Forest

PA · 1,000–2,300 ft

Pocono Mountains

PA · 800–2,200 ft

Great Smoky Mountains

TN · 900–6,643 ft

Apalachicola National Forest

FL · 10–300 ft

Ocala National Forest

FL · 20–200 ft

ME · 400–4,170 ft

ME · 500–5,267 ft

NH · 800–6,288 ft

VT · 800–4,393 ft

VT · 600–3,300 ft

SD · 3,200–7,242 ft

Custer NF / Slim Buttes

SD · 3,000–4,000 ft

Pine Ridge / Oglala NG

NE · 3,400–5,000 ft

OK · 600–2,500 ft

AR · 600–2,700 ft

MN · 1,300–2,301 ft

MN · 1,200–1,500 ft

NC · 0–150 ft

NY · 1,000–5,344 ft

TN · 1,000–6,285 ft

Blackwater / FL Panhandle

FL · 50–300 ft

MN North Shore / Sawtooth

MN · 600–2,301 ft

NJ Pine Barrens

NJ · 0–200 ft

Cape Cod National Seashore

MA · 0–306 ft

Mon NF South / Cranberry Wilderness

WV · 2,500–4,863 ft

Western NY / Allegany SP

NY · 1,500–2,300 ft

Pine Creek / North-Central PA

PA · 1,000–2,300 ft

Nebraska NF / Bessey (Sandhills)

NE · 2,500–3,200 ft

Mount Blue Sky / Echo Lake

9,000–11,700 ft

Growing Requirements

Min Soil Temp

50°F

Moisture Need

rain 0.5in 7d

Drought Tolerance

moderate

Elevation Range

0–13,800 ft

Commonly Mistaken For

Species people confuse with this one — often the edible they were hunting for. Each is tagged with its own edibility; Deadly Webcap is the dangerous one.

Cantharellus spp. (Chanterelles)

Edible

CHOICE EDIBLE but multiple deaths have occurred from chanterelle-hunters accidentally picking orange Cortinarius. Chanterelles have FALSE gills (ridges); Cortinarius has TRUE gills and a rusty-brown spore print.

Gymnopilus spp.

Toxic

Not deadly, but not food: bitter, and some are hallucinogenic. Grows on wood (webcaps grow from soil); rusty-orange spores.

Identification Tips

✓NEVER eat orange gilled mushrooms without confirming a white or pale spore print (chanterelles/edibles) vs rust-brown (Cortinarius)
✓Feel for webbing (cortina) in young stage — a partial veil of fibers connects cap to stem
✓Orellanine symptoms can appear WEEKS after ingestion — kidney transplant is sometimes the only treatment
✓Call Poison Control at first suspicion even if you feel fine

Deadly WebcapCortinarius rubellus

🌳 Host Trees & Plants

Habitat

Season Windows by Region

Growing Requirements

Commonly Mistaken For

Cantharellus spp. (Chanterelles)

Gymnopilus spp.

Identification Tips

Field Notes

Found Deadly Webcap?