Cortinarius Semisanguineus Dye Mushrooms – Limited supply

Description

Cortinarius semisanguineus, also called Surprise Web Cap, is a non-edible dye mushroom that yields a range of oranges and reds on wool mordanted with aluminum potassium sulfate. Cortinarius is part of a globally distributed and huge genus of mushrooms and its semisanguineus name comes from the fact that the red color of the fungus is on its underside. There are over 2000 identified species of Cortinarius.

We offer dried Cortinarius semisanguineus caps and stems. These have been responsibly foraged from an experienced collector. Dye mushrooms are often excellent pH indicators, so you can experiment with a little soda ash or cream of tartar to see how the color changes with these simple additives. An iron mordant will also dramatically shift the color.

We asked Julie Beeler, founder of the Mushroom Color Atlas to dye some of our wool gauze with Cortinarius semisanguineus and she was able to get a lovely deep rosy red with alum and a rich gray with an iron mordant. Her specific dye recipe for Cortinarius is on our how to page.

The package size is approximately 25 grams which will dye about 50 grams of wool fiber a medium dark shade. Please note that mushroom dyes are easiest to dye on wool fiber, but will also dye other animal fibers and silk. If dyeing with cellulose or plant fibers such as cotton or linen, we recommend a tannin pre-bath, aluminum acetate and a calcium post-bath for best results.