Deadly webcap

Statema, B. C. P.

Fungus

Deadly webcap

Cortinarius rubellus

Known today as: —
Kind: Fungus
Constituents: orellanine
Poisoning: Orellanine poisoning
In other databases: GBIF search · Wikidata search

Revised October 3, 2026: Checked against its sources, each read in full, in part, or in its abstract. Version 1, first published September 25, 2026.

Deadly. Symptoms appear days or weeks after eating.

Deadly webcap: what was it used for?

None.

Deadly webcap: what does modern science say?

Its orellanine destroys the kidneys. The first signs may take from two days to two weeks, by which time the damage is done; many survivors need dialysis or a transplant.

Deadly webcap: is it poisonous?

Yes, and it can kill. Symptoms appear days or weeks after eating. Its poisoning is orellanine poisoning: Two to twenty days: the longest latency of any mushroom poison, so the meal is seldom remembered. Historical description, not medical advice; in a poisoning, call a poison centre.

Pharmacognosy & Toxicology

Constituents

orellanine ChEMBLa bipyridine

Mechanism

Orellanine injures the kidneys, causing a tubulo-interstitial nephritis.

Syndrome

Orellanine poisoning

Standing

None.

Danel, V. C., et al. (2001). Toxicon 39. Abstract read · the text read

The abstract of each source, beneath its citation. For Club members. About the Club or sign in.

Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.

Deadly webcap: what lore surrounds it?

Mistaken for chanterelles by foragers;

Sources

Danel, V. C., Saviuc, P. F., & Garon, D. (2001). Main features of Cortinarius spp. poisoning: a literature review. Toxicon 39: 1053–1060. Abstract read · the text read
Wikipedia, “Orellanine,” en.wikipedia.org (read 2 October 2026). Read in full · the text read

Verification

Checked

October 1, 2026, and October 3, 2026

Passes

Every sentence read against its sources, in the pass over the remaining 343 entries
The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
Every source read, in full, in part, or in its abstract, and every sentence checked against what was read (October 3, 2026)

Sources

3 cited: 1 read in full, 2 abstract read. 2 with the abstract on file.

Corrections

None were needed.

What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.

Cite This Entry

Version 1 · first published September 25, 2026 · last revised October 3, 2026

Chicago: “Deadly webcap.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 3, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/deadly-webcap.
MLA: “Deadly webcap.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 3 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/deadly-webcap. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
APA: Deadly webcap. (2026, October 3). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/deadly-webcap

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