Flowery blewit or Wood blewit
How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison
The short answer
Flowery blewit and Wood blewit are similar species: Flowery blewit is edible, while Wood blewit is conditionally edible. The main visible difference: use: Flowery blewit — cook fresh, pickling, salting, Wood blewit — cook fresh, pickling, drying. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: cap color, taste, partner trees.

Flowery blewit
Lepista irina

Wood blewit
Lepista nuda
📊 Comparing characteristics
| Characteristic | Flowery blewit | Wood blewit |
|---|---|---|
| Edibility class | Flowery blewit Edible | Wood blewit Conditionally edible |
| Season | Flowery blewit Autumn | Wood blewit Autumn |
| Use | Flowery blewit Cook freshPicklingSalting | Wood blewit Cook freshPicklingDrying |
| Size | Flowery blewit Medium (5–15 cm) | Wood blewit Medium (5–15 cm) |
| Cap color | Flowery blewit CreamPinkWhite | Wood blewit VioletBrown |
| Cap shape | Flowery blewit Convex | Wood blewit Convex |
| Cap surface | Flowery blewit Smooth | Wood blewit Smooth |
| Taste | Flowery blewit Sweet | Wood blewit Mild |
| Smell | Flowery blewit Pleasant | Wood blewit Pleasant |
| Flesh color change | Flowery blewit No change | Wood blewit No change |
| Hymenophore | Flowery blewit Gilled | Wood blewit Gilled |
| Stem | Flowery blewit Central | Wood blewit Central |
| Ring (veil) | Flowery blewit No ring | Wood blewit No ring |
| Volva | Flowery blewit No volva | Wood blewit No volva |
| Substrate | Flowery blewit SoilForest litter | Wood blewit Forest litterSoil |
| Nutrition type | Flowery blewit Saprotroph | Wood blewit Saprotroph |
| Partner trees | Flowery blewit OakBeechHornbeamBirch | Wood blewit OakBeechPineSpruce |
📅 Seasonality
Flowery blewit
Fruiting season
September – November
Wood blewit
Fruiting season
September – December
🔬 Morphology
Cap
Flowery blewit
Cap 5-12 cm across, hemispherical to convex with an inrolled margin when young, later flattening out with a thin wavy margin. Color cream, pale pinkish, with a silky matte sheen, slightly darker in wet weather. No distinct violet tones. Surface smooth, margin often wavy.
Wood blewit
Cap 5-15 cm across, when young convex with an inrolled margin, becoming with age flat and spreading. The cap skin is smooth, slightly slimy in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather. Color vivid violet or lilac-violet when young, less often with a pink tint; with age it fades to brownish-violet, then to brownish-cream with violet traces at the margin. The margin is even, inrolled when young.
Hymenophore
Flowery blewit
Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, thin, notched at the stem, easily detached. Color whitish to pale pinkish when young, pale pink to cream with age. Spore print pale pinkish-cream (typical of the genus Lepista).
Wood blewit
Gilled hymenophore — the gills are adnate or slightly decurrent, very crowded, thin. Color distinctly violet-lilac when young, brownish-violet to brownish-cream with age, with a greenish-pink tint when mature. Spore print pale pink to creamy pink — characteristic of the genus Lepista.
Stem
Flowery blewit
Stem sturdy: 5-10 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, cylindrical, thickened toward the base. Color white to cream, with no violet tint (which sets it apart from the field blewit and the wood blewit). Surface lengthwise fibrous, with whitish mycelial down at the base. No ring.
Wood blewit
Stem 5-10 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick, firm, fleshy, cylindrical, thickening toward the base. Color violet to lilac-violet, often paler lower down, with whitish mycelium at the base. The surface is smooth with fine lengthwise fibers. No ring.
Flesh
Flowery blewit
Flesh thick, white to cream, dense, meaty when young. Does not change color when cut. Has a pleasant fruity, perfumed aroma.
Wood blewit
Flesh firm; thin in the cap, thick in the stem, violet-whitish to pale lilac. Doesn't change color when cut or slowly fades to grayish-violet. Smell pleasant, sweetish and perfumed, reminiscent of lilac or violet, with a hint of anise, taste sweet at first, then mildly mushroomy.
Smell
Flowery blewit
Strong, fruity and perfumed, described as "fresh violets", "talcum powder" or ripe fruit — typical of the genus Lepista, but more pronounced and complex than in L. nuda. One of the most memorable scents of the late-autumn forest. Taste mild, delicate.
Wood blewit
A distinct, pleasant, sweetish-perfumed smell — reminiscent of lilac, violet or a touch of anise. A helpful clue, but not a decisive one: the violet webcap smells faintly of cedar, and some lilac webcaps (Cortinarius camphoratus, C. traganus) smell strong and unpleasant. So check the smell together with the spore print colour.
📍 Habitats
Flowery blewit
Wood blewit
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
Wood blewit
Conditionally edibleField blewit
EdibleSordid blewit
EdibleClouded funnel
Conditionally edibleGiant funnel
Conditionally edibleViolet webcap
InedibleLilac bonnet
PoisonousWhite fibrecap
PoisonousPig's ear
EdiblePinkmottle woodwax
EdibleGoblet funnel
EdibleAmethyst deceiver
EdibleFlowery blewit
EdibleGoatcheese webcap
Inedible❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Flowery blewit and Wood blewit be mixed up?
How to tell Flowery blewit from Wood blewit?
Is Wood blewit edible?
When do Flowery blewit and Wood blewit grow?
Sources
- [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [3]MycoBank Database
- [4]Index Fungorum
- [5]GBIF
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine