stains the beech forest floor red
- Size
- Cap: 10-30 mm diam.
- Lifespan
- Unknown
- Diet
- Mycorrhizal, forming symbiotic relationships with southern beech trees such as silver and red beech to exchange nutrients.
- Habitat
- Under southern beech trees in damp, mossy native forest with high humidity and rich leaf litter.
- Range
- Endemic to New Zealand, found in beech forests of the South Island and lower North Island in damp, shaded areas.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- Habitat disturbance from logging, fire, or heavy grazing affecting soil moisture and disrupting mycelial networks.
- Population
- Locally common in wet beech forests, particularly in the South Island where mature beech stands persist.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
It is a shock of crimson. In the dim, green light of the beech forest floor, the Blood-Red Webcap does not whisper. It shouts. The cap is small, rarely exceeding three centimetres, and convex. Its surface is dry and fibrous, often appearing slightly scaly or cracked as it ages. The colour is not uniform; it deepens to a rusty brown at the centre, fading to a brighter red at the margins. It looks less like a mushroom and more like a drop of blood that has refused to dry.
Underneath, the gills are attached to the stem. They start as a dull violet, but this colour is fleeting. As the spores mature, they turn a rich, rusty brown, coating the surrounding moss in a fine, invisible dust. The stem is slender, brittle, and shares the vivid red of the cap, though it may be streaked with yellowish fibres near the base. In young specimens, a faint web of cottony fibres connects the stem to the cap edge. This is the cortina, the namesake of the genus. It tears easily, leaving no ring, only a memory of protection.
This fungus lives in partnership with southern beech trees, particularly silver and red beech. The hyphae weave through the soil, extending the reach of the tree roots. They gather phosphorus and nitrogen from the leaf litter, trading these nutrients for sugars produced by the tree. It is a silent economy, vital for the forest's health. Without it, the beech would struggle to thrive in the nutrient-poor soils of the high country.
Blood-Red Webcaps are found in damp, mossy areas under beech canopy. They fruit in autumn, often in small clusters. They are not edible. While not known to be deadly, they contain compounds that can cause severe gastric upset. They are best admired from a distance. Their beauty is visual, not culinary.
Threats are limited. The species is stable in its preferred habitat. However, it is sensitive to changes in moisture and soil structure. Logging, fire, or heavy grazing can disrupt the delicate mycelial networks beneath the forest floor. Recovery is slow. The fungi wait for the conditions to return. They do not rush. It carries on.