Goliath webcap (Cortinarius praestans)

Hey dear Hive Community, first of all I would like to welcome you to my new post and hope you are all doing relatively well! Today I would like to bring you a new mushroom a little closer and hope you can expand your knowledge a little.

Here you can see Goliath webcap, which is also known under the scientific name Cortinarius praestans and is widespread in Europe and Asia. This fungus can be found mainly towards the end of summer from about September and preferably grows in deciduous forests on moist or lime-rich soils and it is a great edible mushroom. The stem can grow up to 25 cm in size and the hat has a red-brown appearance and the slats are white and turn brown with age. Another important distinguishing mark of mushrooms is often the smell, but this is rather mild for the Goliath webcap and not of concerns and it is also great that this fungus is rarely infested by vermin.

The meat is usually white and solid, but can also have a purple to brown color and white and spots can usually be seen on the edge of the hat. Goliath webcap is great for consumption but must always be cooked enough to avoid poisoning and also for long-term storage it can be advantageous to dry the mushroom. In some places, the fungus occurs in large quantities, but on the whole, it is an increasingly rare fungus. When collecting, it is of course always important to have an open eye and pay attention to the identification marks as it can be confused with other poisonous mushrooms and if you are not sure you should always leave the fungus!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like my new contribution! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!