Lepista nuda — Blewit
Odour: Floral or like citrus or frozen orange juice6 when young.
Taste: Mild to slightly spicy with age (spit out a small bite of a raw mushroom after tasting).
Cap: : 3–12 cm in diameter. When young, the cap may have a central umbo and the margin is inrolled. Caps mature to be flatter or wavy but their margins remain slightly inrolled (see 'Additional image'). The colour varies greatly, from deep violaceous to pinkish beige or even reddish brown. The margin is often lighter and the colours become less vivid when the mushroom dries out. The surface feels slightly greasy to the touch when wet, and appears shiny or metallic when dry. Thick-fleshed.
Gills: Crowded, broadly attached to the stem. Distinctly and deeply lilac when young but becoming duller beige or reddish brown with age.
Stem: : 3–11 cm long x 1–3 cm wide, straight, and often widest just above the base. White fibrils cover the lilac surface making the stem look lighter than the cap. The stem is solid.
Ring or veil: None
Cup: None.
Spores: 5.5–9 x 3.5–5 µm, with small warts.
Habitat: Single, or in clusters or arcs on the ground in varied habitats, from grasslands and lawns to woods and forests, often at the edge of forests. Saprotrophic.
Geographical range: Northern Hemisphere.
Remarks: Also known as Clitocybe nuda3. This is a species complex with multiple species, probably geographically defined, but the separate species have yet to be named.
Treatment: Contact your regional Poison Control Centre if you realize you or someone you know has become ill after eating blewits. Poison centres provide free, expert medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If possible, save the mushrooms or some of the leftover food containing the mushrooms to help confirm identification.
Poison Control:
British Columbia: 604-682-5050 or 1-800-567-8911.
United States (WA, OR, ID): 1-800-222-1222.