Qualifiers Posted October 4, 2021 Report Share Posted October 4, 2021 Hello, this is the first time I've tried to positively identify wood blewits and I'm looking for a second opinion. Found in western MA growing on leaf litter in deciduous forest (beech and oak). The flesh and gills were very purple at first, but the color faded over time. Unfortunately the two I found did not produce a lot of spores, but in the best spore print I could get the spores were definitely light colored and looked white (see third pic). Oh, and they smell strange...it's hard to describe, but kind of like pollen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvert Posted October 5, 2021 Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 Yes, it's a Blewit (Lepista nuda). They smell good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted October 6, 2021 Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 Maybe. But... Blewits are not beginner mushrooms. Toxic purple Cortinarius species can look very similar. There are lot of purple mushrooms. To be sure it is a Blewit I would look for: A wide flared stem base...but NOT any tissue structure that looks like a cup holding the stem...in other words toxic Amanita. There is not any hint of ring or any residual colour brown ring on the stem There is never tissue connecting from the edge of the cap to the mid portion of the stem. The gills have a slight notch as they meet the stem All the above are easy to see. Most critical...a "pink Brown" spore print. Many source describe the colour differently. I call it my Caucasian Inner Forearm Colour at end of summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvert Posted October 6, 2021 Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 I agree, obtaining a spore print is the most dependable way to discern between Lepista nuda and similarly coloured Cortinarius. In this case, although they don't have much of a spore print, it's enough to determine that it is leaning towards "white" (in actuality, creamy pink like we see in your photo) and not the rusty brown that a Cort would give. Even a very light print like that, a Cortinarius spore print wouldn't appear "white" in any sense. Also, at that stage of maturity in the 1st photo, the cortina (cob-web like partial veil) would be evident in Cortinarius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qualifiers Posted October 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 Thanks guys, that was helpful. I have checked the characteristics Johny listed and determined it is lepista nuda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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