Lepista nuda (Bull. :Fr) Cooke Handb. Brit. Fungi 1: 192 (1871)

Image © Patricia Jordan Reproduced by permission Common Name: Wood Blewit

This is one of the purple fungi. When young, its blue-lilac caps are bun- or cone-shaped with an inturned margin. As it ages, the cap becomes polished, purple brown and flattened with an upturned, wavy margin. Its stem is stout and it produces pink spores. It could be confused with lilac species of Cortinarius but it has no cobwebby veil and its spore print differs from the rusty spore print of Cortinarius.

• Pileus/cap

  60-200 mm diameter. Blue/lilac becoming violet brown. Convex or conical when young and with an inturned margin, becoming flattened with wavy, irregular, upturned margin.Smooth, moist, often shining when dry. Flesh thick, soft, bluish lilac

• Lamellae/gills

  Bluish lilac to violet becoming buff/brown on ageing. Crowded. Adnexed with notch.

• Stipe/stem

  40-100 mm high, 15-25 mm wide. Often bulbous at base. Fibrous. Slender to stout.

• Spores

  Spore print pale dingy pink.

• Habitat

  In groups on rich soil. Probably introduced. Usually found amongst pines

• Comments

  Should not be eaten raw, can cause poisoning.

• References

  Fuhrer, B. Field Companion to Australian Fungi p. 52 Cleland, J.B. [1934-1935]. Toadstools and Mushrooms and Other Larger Fungi of South Australia, Parts I and II. Government Printer, Adelaide [Reprint 1976]. As Tricholoma nudum p. 64 Grgurinovic, C.A. [1997]. Larger Fungi of South Australia. The Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium and The Flora and Fauna of South Australia Handbooks Committtee p. 312 Hall, I., Buchanan, P.K., Yun, W. & Cole, A.L.J. [1998]. Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms. An Introduction. Caxton Press, Christchurch, N.Z. p. 99, 101, 163info Laessoe, T., Del Conte, A.& Lincoff, G. [1996]. The Mushroom Book. DK Publishing Inc. p. 91 McCarthy, P. [Ed.] [1997]. Fungi of Australia. Volume 1A. Introduction - Classification. CSIRO, Australia. p. 166 Phillips, R. [1981]. Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain & Europe. Pan Books. p. 113 Young, A.M. [1982]. Common Australian Fungi. New South Wales University Press. p. 115

Distribution map

Last modified on 28 May 2001

Maintained by Mike McBain

Copyright © 2000 Fungimap