Cortinarius smithii, also known as the western red dye mushroom, is an agaric fungus of the genus Cortinarius. Originally named Cortinarius phoeniceus var. occidentalis by American mycologist Alexander H. Smith in 1939, it was renamed to honor Smith in 2012,[2] after molecular analysis revealed that it was genetically different from Cortinarius phoeniceus. It is found in North America.[1]
| Cortinarius smithii | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Cortinariaceae |
| Genus: | Cortinarius |
| Species: | C. smithii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cortinarius smithii Ammirati, Niskanen & Liimat. (2012)
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Cortinarius phoeniceus var. occidentalis A.H.Sm. (1939) | |
This mushroom is prized as a source of natural dye. According to Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast (2016), it is the "holy grail of California dye mushrooms" and when used with "a neutral pH (around 7) and an alum mordant" for the red and a pH of 4 for orange.[3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Niskanen T, Liimatainen K. (2012). "Cortinarius section Sanguinei in North America". Mycologia. 105 (2): 344–56. doi:10.3852/12-086. PMID 22962360. S2CID 27732569.
- ^ Smith AH. (1939). "Studies in the Genus Cortinarius. I". Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium. 2: 5–42 (see p. 30).
- ^ Siegel & Schwarz (2016), p. 467.
Sources edit
- Siegel, Noah; Schwarz, Christian (2016). Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 9781607748182. LCCN 2015027853. OCLC 956478776.
External links edit
 | This Cortinariaceae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |