Mushrooms by colour · 4 species
Purple mushrooms
The best-known purple mushroom is the wood blewit (Lepista nuda), an edible species. But many purple webcaps (Cortinarius) may be poisonous, so a purple colour is not a sign of safety.
This page brings together mushrooms with purple and lilac tones. For a closer look at a single species, see our wood blewit page (mor mantar in Turkish): its cap is lilac to purple-pink, convex when young, flattening and darkening with age.
Purple is uncommon in mushrooms, which makes these species stand out. The blewit is most often confused with purple webcaps; the field blewit (Lepista saeva) is very similar but lacks the violet tint on the cap.
Colour alone never tells you whether a mushroom is edible: the same colour includes both edible and deadly species. To identify a purple mushroom, consider the spore print, veil remains under the cap and the stem together.
Purple mushrooms: edible or poisonous, and when?
| Mushroom | Status | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Amethyst deceiverLaccaria amethystina | Inedible | Jan, Jul–Nov |
| Plums and custardTricholomopsis rutilans | Inedible | Oct–Jan |
| Violet crown cupSarcosphaera coronaria | Poisonous | Mar–Jun |
| Wood blewitLepista nuda | Edible species | Sep–Dec |
The status column is a guide and is not enough to decide to eat a mushroom. Do not eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has seen it in person. Edible mushrooms · Poisonous mushrooms
Poisonous lookalikes of the same colour
Many purple webcaps (Cortinarius spp.) may be poisonous. They show cobweb-like veil remains under the cap, a ring zone on the stem and a rusty brown spore print. The wood blewit's spore print is white to pale pink.
The webcap genus also includes deadly species; the fool's webcap can cause lasting kidney damage. Never eat a purple mushroom without a spore print and a firm expert identification.
If poisoning is suspected in Türkiye, call 112 or the National Poison Information Centre (114) straight away, and keep a piece of the mushroom if you can.
- Violet crown cup Sarcosphaera coronaria Poisonous
Types of purple mushrooms
Two purple groups stand out in this encyclopedia: the edible wood blewit (Lepista nuda) and the purple webcaps it is confused with (Cortinarius spp.). The similar field blewit is also edible. Each species has its own page with details.
Why the spore print matters
The spore print is the key clue separating blewits from purple webcaps: blewits give a white to pale pink print, webcaps a rusty brown one. Even so, it is not a firm identification on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Are purple mushrooms edible?
The wood blewit (Lepista nuda) is edible, but should not be eaten without expert identification. Many other purple mushrooms, especially purple webcaps, may be poisonous.
Which mushrooms are purple?
The best known is the wood blewit (Lepista nuda). Purple webcaps (Cortinarius) are purple too; the field blewit looks similar but lacks the violet tint.
How do you tell a blewit from a purple webcap?
Purple webcaps leave cobweb-like veil remains under the cap and a rusty brown spore print. The blewit's spore print is white to pale pink. These are clues; a firm identification needs an expert.
What is the Latin name of the wood blewit?
It is Lepista nuda, also listed as Collybia nuda in some sources. In Turkish it is called mor mantar.
Can purple mushrooms be poisonous?
The wood blewit itself is edible, but many of the purple webcaps it is confused with may be poisonous. Do not eat wild purple mushrooms without expert identification.
I ate a purple mushroom. What should I do?
If poisoning is suspected in Türkiye, call 112 or the National Poison Information Centre (114) straight away, and keep a piece of the mushroom if you can.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN): Collybia nuda en.wikipedia.org
- Vikipedi (TR): Lepista nuda tr.wikipedia.org
- First Nature: Lepista nuda first-nature.com
All sources (5)
- Wikipedia (EN): Cortinarius orellanus en.wikipedia.org
- First Nature: Cortinarius orellanus first-nature.com
Other colours
Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial teamReport a correction