| Cortinarius archeri | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Cortinariaceae |
| Genus: | Cortinarius |
| Species: | C. archeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Cortinarius archeri Berk. (1860) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Gomphos archeri (Berk.) Kuntze (1891) | |
Cortinarius archeri, commonly known as thepurple emperor,[2] or theemperor cortinar,[3] is aspecies ofmushroom in the genusCortinarius native to Australia. The distinctive mushrooms have bright purple caps that glisten with slime, and appear in autumn ineucalypt forests.
English clergymanMiles Joseph Berkeley describedCortinarius archeri in 1860 from a specimen collected inCheshunt, Tasmania in April 1856.[4] The species name honours the collector—naturalistWilliam Archer, who was the secretary of theRoyal Society of Tasmania.[5]
In 1891, the German botanistOtto Kuntze publishedRevisio generum plantarum, his response to what he perceived as poor method in existing nomenclatural practice.[6] He called the speciesGomphos archeri, citing the genusGomphos as described byGiovanni Antonio Battarra in 1755 taking precedence overCortinarius.[7] However, Kuntze's revisionary programme was not accepted by the majority of botanists.[6]
Within the genus,Cortinarius archeri belongs to thesubgenusMyxacium, whose mushroom caps and stipes are covered with a layer of glutinous slime. Moser and Horak made it the type species ofCortinarius (Myx.)sectionArcheriani in 1975.[8] In 1990, Austrian mycologistEgon Horak placed it in group D of the subgenus, several species with mushrooms that are purple or blue when young.[9] In 2007, Italian mycologist Bruno Gasparini placedC. archeri and theArcheriani (which he reclassified as a subsection) into the subgenusPhlegmacium, which have sticky or glutinous caps but not stipes. He conceded the subgenera as classically understood were likely to be untenable and require overhauling.[10] In 2004, Peintner and colleagues placed theArcheri group in aclade they named /Delibuti, which was related to thePhlegmacium clade, thoughC. archeri was not itself sampled in this genetic study.[11] A 2005 molecular study of the genus by Sigisfredo Garnica and colleagues was unable to placeC. archeri in a clade with confidence, though showed its affinity withC. sinapicolor.[12]
Australian naturalistJohn Burton Cleland describedCortinarius subarcheri in 1928 from a collection under brown stringybark (Eucalyptus baxteri) in Bundaleer State Forest in theMount Lofty Ranges. He distinguished it fromC. archeri by its smaller spores (9–10 x 4.5–5.5 μm) and mushrooms.[13] This taxon is poorly known and it is unclear whether it is distinct fromC. archeri.[9]
Thecap is up to 10 cm (4 in) broad, initially convex with strongly incurved margins before flattening out with age. The centre of the cap may have a central boss.[14] The cap colour is deep violet at first and then becomes violet-brown with age, glutinous, and smooth. Theflesh is thick and tintedlavender. Thegills are brown and tinted lilac-violet. Thestipe is 6 to 8 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in) long,cylindrical, often swollen at the base, pale lilac above thecortina and deep violet below it. Thespores are brown andfruit bodies will produce a brownspore print. The species has no odor,[15] and a mild taste.[9] WhenC. archeri is young, they have a cortina, but it is flimsy and tears apart as the cap expands which is why there are few traces of it on fully mature specimens.
One of the commonest webcaps of southern Australia,[10]Cortinarius archeri is distributed from Queensland, through to South Australia and Western Australia.[9] Around Sydney it has been found in Oatley, Howes Valley and Tari Creek in Windsor,[9] as well asBoronia Park.[16] It is regularly seen in theLane Cove National Park, especially around North Ryde.[citation needed] In Victoria, the species is atMorwell National Park.[17] This is the onlyCortinarius species that was found in theField Naturalists Club of Victoria's first fungi foray to Coranderrk Bush Sanctuary.[18] It is found in theMount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide in South Australia.[5] It has been found at Mundaring in Western Australia.[9] InTasmania, it has been recorded from the wet forests, dry forests and cleared areas,[19] from Mount Wellington and Mount Field National Parks, as well as Bruny Island.[10]
The species was found during the 15th New Zealand Fungal Foray at the New Zealand Fungal Herbarium.[20]
The species is common ineucalypt ormixed forests and ismycorrhizal, forms a close relationship with the roots ofeucalypts or closely related trees. Although considered solitary, the mushroom can commonly be found in groups of two or three,[15] often poking up through bark and leaf litter on the ground.[21] It can thrive in recently burnt forests and can also be found in suburban lawns.[22]
The edibility ofCortinarius archeri is unknown.Cortinarius is a large and potentially confusing genus with a number of dangerously poisonous species, so they are generally not regarded as safe edible mushrooms.
Media related toCortinarius archeri at Wikimedia Commons