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did I blow it by thinking this was a blewit?


diana

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Last week found two of these purple mushrooms.  Found growing in leaf litter in woods. We had wandered off trail and became lost, finally tried gps and we were about 7 miles from car.  Because phone battery was low I didn't take a picture at the time.  Took them home and identified them as wood blewits  aka clitocybe nuda/lepista nuda.  Everything was textbook correct.  One of the mushrooms had a bit of brown on the stem but I figured it was staining from the leaf litter.  ( picture #1)  I  did a spore print.  Brown.  Dangit.

Yesterday the four year old suggested taking the dogs for a walk in the park.  Another purple mushroom.  Leaf litter at wood's edge.  Much mycelium at base and in the leaves.  No brown on stem.  (picture #2)

Third picture is of the spore print of mushroom found yesterday done on a mirror.  Early print was a buff color.  I consider "buff" a pale golden.  The color of Buff Orpingtons - my favorite breed of chickens.  I decided not to jump the gun and waited till this morning to read the print.  Brown.  Dbl-dangit!  The corner of the envelope was dragged through the print and shows a concentration of the spores. 

I have gone to mushroomexpert.com and looked at  Cortinarius violaceus and I don't think these look like that.  Help please.

 

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wood blewit.jpg

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Not Cortinarius violaceus, but most definitely a species of Cortinarius. Taking the spore print was very useful. (BTW, I think "buff" refers to an off-white color that tends toward pinkish/fleshy. But, interpreting very pale off-white colors can be subjective.) Note, the webby deposits on the stems. These remnants of the cortina (webby partial veil) are dark brown because spores have collected on them. Also, although a Blewits will often have an enlarged stem base, these stem bases are fairly abruptly bulbous. This subtle difference can also help one to distinguish a Blewit from a Cort. 

Species...? There's a handful of Corts that are readily IDed to species, not including these. For these there are at least several possibilities. Most filed guides include C. alboviolaceus, which is similar but not quite as purple as the ones seen here. 

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8 hours ago, troutddicted said:

You blewit alright

Yeah,  figured that as soon as I saw the spore print, just had to use the play on words though:P

Thanks Dave,  I will look into other members of the cortinarius family for identification.  Sure was a pretty purple though...

Dave, I took a look at all the ones you listed as possibilities and none seem quite the match.  Also, though I am not 100% sure, I think that both times these were under oaks.  I always think I will remember and even take a mental note or picture but somehow neither take.

What do you think about Cortinarius iodes as a possibility?

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I don't think C. iodes. This species has a slimy/viscid cap, usually with yellowish spots, and is generally less robust than the ones seen in this discussion. The cap surface seen in the second photo down looks to be dry/silky/shiny. This suggests Cortinarius subgenus Sericeocybe, which is a grouping of rather robust Corts with violet/purple color and dry cap surface. According to the following source, this subgenus is an "artificial" grouping, as the species contained therein are not actually genetically related. They just share the types of observable traits mentioned. http://www.alpental.com/psms/PNWMushrooms/PictorialKey/Cortinarius.htm#Sericeocybe

Actually, if you don't know it then you can't blow it, cuz if you knew it was a blewit then you wound not eschew it. You can always abort, when you realize it's a Cort.  

 

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15 hours ago, Dave W said:

Actually, if you don't know it then you can't blow it, cuz if you knew it was a blewit then you wound not eschew it. You can always abort, when you realize it's a Cort.  

 

:lol:

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Sung to the tune of "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.

 

When the Crimson Cort is King

 

The rusty spores fall through the gills

and gather on the stalk.

Amongst the fallen leaves of brown

my sadness they do mock.

The violaceous rounded caps

are a dubious offering.

There’s no Lepistas to be found

when the Crimson Cort is king.

 

The maker of the Autumn rain

has left the forest dry.

I walk the paths from dawn to dusk

but the prospects make me sigh.

Some fleshy caps on robust stems

are growing in a ring.

But none of them are harvested

For the Crimson Cort is king.

 

In days of yore when many colored

carpophores were found

where faeries spread the midnight dust

in circles on the ground

the woods were filled with Blewits

that the evening rain did bring.

But now imposters rule the land

where the Crimson Cort is king.

 

My fingers feel the morning chill

as I examine fruit bodies.

I see no web, the gills are notched

still I doubt that I’ll eat these.

A bowl of cream of Blewit soup

would be the perfect thing.

But there will be no soup today

while the Crimson Cort is king.

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