Wood Blewit / Autumn / Edible
Common Names
Wood Blewit
Botanical Name
Lepista (clitocybe) Nuda
Meaning of Botanical Name
Lepista meaning goblet referring to the funnel shape of mature specimens, Nuda meaning naked
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Fungi,
Division:Basidiomycota,
Class: Agaricomycetes,
Order: Agaricales,
Family: Tricholomataceae
Genus: Lepista
Known Hazards
Can cause gastric upset if not cooked
Could be confused with
Violet webcap
Food of
Insect larvae
Range and Distribution
Common throughout Britain and Ireland, Europe, North America
Habitat
Grows often in rings on leaf litter
Physical Characteristics
Buff brown caps with a violet tinge, the surface of the cap is almost translucent and you can often see lines when maggots have nibbled the flesh, with age the cap can become wavy at the edge and funnel shaped, the gills are a pale violet colour, crowded and sinuate. The stem often has a faint vertical striated pattern leading down to a bulbous base which has often got fluffy white mycelium attached. This mushroom has a slightly perfumy smell and a pinkish white spore print.
Edible Uses
Cooked well this mushroom is delicious going well with pasta, soups, stews etc.
Extra info
This mushroom can occasionally be found all year round though most often November and December
