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.

Goblet funnel
Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis

Wood blewit
Lepista nuda
📊 Comparing characteristics
| Characteristic | Goblet funnel | 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
October – December
Wood blewit
Fruiting season
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
Wood blewit
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
Clouded funnel
Conditionally edibleCommon funnel
EdibleWood blewit
Conditionally edibleGrayling
EdibleField blewit
EdibleViolet webcap
InedibleLilac bonnet
PoisonousWhite fibrecap
PoisonousPig's ear
EdiblePinkmottle woodwax
EdibleGoblet funnel
EdibleAmethyst deceiver
EdibleSordid blewit
EdibleFlowery blewit
EdibleGoatcheese webcap
Inedible❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Goblet funnel and Wood blewit be mixed up?
How to tell Goblet funnel from Wood blewit?
Is Wood blewit edible?
When do Goblet funnel 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