Birch Webcap - Cortinarius triumphans

Slimy in wet weather, remaining sticky; 5 to 12 cm in diameter; hemispherical to convex at first, expanding until almost flat or occasionally shallowly umbonate but retaining a downturned or slightly incurved margin; golden yellow with a slightly browner centre, the cap surface is radially fibrillose and sometimes becomes slightly scaly towards the centre when fully mature. Cap and stem flesh are pale cream. The adnate-emarginate gills are raggedly toothed, close and initially creamy white with a faint lavender tinge, turning ochre and then becoming stained rusty brown as the spores mature. A whitish cortina (cobweb-like partial veil) covers the gills of very young caps.

Found in broadleaf and mixed woodlands with birches, Beech and occasionally other broadleaf trees.

August to October in Britain and Ireland.

Widespread but infrequent in Britain.

Infrequent in Leicestershire and Rutland.