Support MycoNote →

MycoNote

Goblet funnel or Wood blewit

How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison

The short answer

Goblet funnel and Wood blewit are similar species: Goblet funnel is edible, while Wood blewit is conditionally edible. The main visible difference: season: Goblet funnel — autumn, winter, Wood blewit — autumn. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: use, size, cap color.

Wood blewit (Lepista nuda)

Wood blewit

Lepista nuda

Conditionally edibleExpert-verified

📊 Comparing characteristics

Comparison of characteristics: Goblet funnel and Wood blewit
Edibility class

Goblet funnel

Edible

Wood blewit

Conditionally edible
Season

Goblet funnel

AutumnWinter

Wood blewit

Autumn
Use

Goblet funnel

Cook fresh

Wood blewit

Cook freshPicklingDrying
Size

Goblet funnel

Small (up to 5 cm)

Wood blewit

Medium (5–15 cm)
Cap color

Goblet funnel

BrownDark brownGrey

Wood blewit

VioletBrown
Cap shape

Goblet funnel

Funnel-shaped

Wood blewit

Convex
Cap surface

Goblet funnel

Smooth

Wood blewit

Smooth
Taste

Goblet funnel

Mild

Wood blewit

Mild
Smell

Goblet funnel

Odorless

Wood blewit

Pleasant
Flesh color change

Goblet funnel

No change

Wood blewit

No change
Hymenophore

Goblet funnel

Gilled

Wood blewit

Gilled
Stem

Goblet funnel

Central

Wood blewit

Central
Ring (veil)

Goblet funnel

No ring

Wood blewit

No ring
Volva

Goblet funnel

No volva

Wood blewit

No volva
Substrate

Goblet funnel

SoilForest litterDead wood

Wood blewit

Forest litterSoil
Nutrition type

Goblet funnel

Saprotroph

Wood blewit

Saprotroph
Partner trees

Goblet funnel

OakBeechHornbeamBirch

Wood blewit

OakBeechPineSpruce

📅 Seasonality

Goblet funnel

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

October – December

Wood blewit

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

September – December

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Goblet funnel

Cap 3-8 cm across, convex in young mushrooms, later becoming funnel-shaped or goblet-shaped, with a sunken center and a thin wavy margin. Color gray-brown to chocolate-gray, darker in wet weather and paler in dry weather (hygrophanous). Surface smooth, silky and glossy when young, matte when old, with barely visible radial veins.

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

Goblet funnel

Gilled hymenophore. Gills distant, strongly decurrent down the stem (a characteristic feature). Color grayish-white to cream, turning light brown with age. Spore print white.

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

Goblet funnel

Stem 3-8 cm tall, 0.5-1.2 cm thick, slender, cylindrical or slightly thickened toward the base. Color gray-brown, similar to the cap, with white mycelial down at the bottom. Surface lengthwise fibrous, no ring. The stem flesh becomes hollow in old mushrooms.

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

Goblet funnel

Flesh thin, watery, grayish and brittle. Does not change color when cut. No pronounced taste or smell.

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

Goblet funnel

Faintly mushroomy, neutral, with no distinct notes. Mild taste. In old mushrooms — sourish and unpleasant.

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

Goblet funnel

Deciduous forestMixed forest

Wood blewit

Deciduous forestConifer forestMixed forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Goblet funnel and Wood blewit be mixed up?
Yes, they look so similar that people often mix them up. The season, use, size help tell them apart.
How to tell Goblet funnel from Wood blewit?
The main differences: season: Goblet funnel — autumn, winter, Wood blewit — autumn; use: Goblet funnel — cook fresh, Wood blewit — cook fresh, pickling, drying; size: Goblet funnel — small (up to 5 cm), Wood blewit — medium (5–15 cm). As for edibility: Goblet funnel is edible, Wood blewit is conditionally edible. The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.
Is Wood blewit edible?
Wood blewit — conditionally edible.
When do Goblet funnel and Wood blewit grow?
Goblet funnel — October–December; Wood blewit — September–December.

Sources

  • [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
  • [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
  • [3]MycoBank Database
  • [4]Index Fungorum
  • [5]GBIF
  • [6]iNaturalist Ukraine