A course on hydnoid fungi and webcaps, Uppland 2026

The Kurs om taggsvampar och spindlingar runs from 1 to 4 October 2026 in Uppland and brings together two groups that could hardly have been chosen for greater contrast.

Taggsvampar are the hydnoid fungi — species whose hymenium lines spines hanging beneath the cap instead of gills or tubes. They include both the hedgehog mushrooms of the genus Hydnum, well known to collectors and edible, and the tooth fungi of the genera Sarcodon and Hydnellum. The second group matters for conservation in northern Europe, because many of its species are tied to old pine forest on poor soils and vanish along with it.

Spindlingar are the webcaps, the genus Cortinarius, and here the difficulty begins. It is the largest genus of gilled fungi in Europe, counted in hundreds of species, and the differences between them can be subtle to the limit. Identification rests on the colour of the young cap and gills, on chemical reactions, on smell and on spore characters, and many of those features fade within hours of collecting.

Putting the two groups in one course makes didactic sense, though at first glance it looks arbitrary. The hydnoid fungi give quick success: the hymenium is visible to the naked eye and the group is small. The webcaps teach the opposite — patience, and the fact that some specimens will remain unidentified despite a correctly executed procedure.

The location is not arbitrary either. Uppland lies north of Stockholm and has both old pine forest on poor soils, where Sarcodon and Hydnellum grow, and mixed woodland, where webcaps are most numerous. The start of October is, at this latitude, the last full week of the season for both groups.

Registration goes through a form on the society's site, and the opening date for registration is announced separately for each entry in the calendar.

From all-day fieldwork to evening identification

The 1–4 October course is based at Lövstabruks Värdshus & Brukshotell in northern Uppland. On Friday and Saturday participants meet at 09:00, car-pool to the site, continue fieldwork after lunch, and return around 15:00–16:00 for identification; findings are reviewed at 20:00. The subject is tooth fungi and webcaps. The SEK 2,900 fee includes three nights in a shared double room and meals.