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How to tell Wood blewit from Lilac bonnet

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

Warning: Lilac bonnet(Mycena pura)

The short answer

Wood blewit and Lilac bonnet look alike, so they're easy to mix up — but Wood blewit is conditionally edible, while Lilac bonnet is poisonous. The main visible difference: season: Wood blewit — autumn, Lilac bonnet — summer, autumn. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: use, size, cap color. If you have even the slightest doubt, leave the mushroom be.

Lilac bonnet (Mycena pura)

Lilac bonnet

Mycena pura

PoisonousExpert-verified
Wood blewit (Lepista nuda)

Wood blewit

Lepista nuda

Conditionally edibleExpert-verified

📊 Comparing characteristics

⚠ Highlighted rows are the key differences between the edible and the dangerous mushroom

Comparison of characteristics: Lilac bonnet and Wood blewit
⚠ Edibility class

Lilac bonnet

Poisonous

Wood blewit

Conditionally edible
⚠ Season

Lilac bonnet

SummerAutumn

Wood blewit

Autumn
⚠ Use

Lilac bonnet

Not eaten

Wood blewit

Cook freshPicklingDrying
⚠ Size

Lilac bonnet

Small (up to 5 cm)

Wood blewit

Medium (5–15 cm)
⚠ Cap color

Lilac bonnet

PinkViolet

Wood blewit

VioletBrown
Cap shape

Lilac bonnet

Convex

Wood blewit

Convex
Cap surface

Lilac bonnet

Smooth

Wood blewit

Smooth
Taste

Lilac bonnet

Mild

Wood blewit

Mild
⚠ Smell

Lilac bonnet

Radish-like

Wood blewit

Pleasant
Flesh color change

Lilac bonnet

No change

Wood blewit

No change
Hymenophore

Lilac bonnet

Gilled

Wood blewit

Gilled
Stem

Lilac bonnet

Central

Wood blewit

Central
Ring (veil)

Lilac bonnet

No ring

Wood blewit

No ring
Volva

Lilac bonnet

No volva

Wood blewit

No volva
Substrate

Lilac bonnet

SoilForest litter

Wood blewit

Forest litterSoil
Nutrition type

Lilac bonnet

Saprotroph

Wood blewit

Saprotroph
⚠ Partner trees

Lilac bonnet

OakBeechHornbeamBirch

Wood blewit

OakBeechPineSpruce

📅 Seasonality

Lilac bonnet

Fruiting season

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

August – November

Wood blewit

Fruiting season

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

September – December

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Lilac bonnet

Cap 2-6 cm across, bell-shaped when young, later opening to convex with a low bump. Color pink, lilac, violet-purple, less often pale pink or grayish lilac, with radial grooves from the margin to the center. Surface smooth, shiny in wet weather.

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

Lilac bonnet

Gilled hymenophore; gills broad, distant, whitish to pale pink or lilac. Attachment notched. 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

Lilac bonnet

Stem 4-8 cm tall, 0.3-0.8 cm thick, cylindrical, fragile. Color pinkish lilac, matching the cap, paler lower down. Surface smooth, with fine lengthwise fibers.

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

Lilac bonnet

Flesh thin, pink to whitish, watery. Does not change color when cut. Smell a characteristic radish smell: the key diagnostic feature of the species.

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

Lilac bonnet

A distinct radish smell, like raw radish or horseradish. It comes out when you crush the flesh. This is the most reliable feature of the species.

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

Lilac bonnet

Deciduous forestMixed forest

Wood blewit

Deciduous forestConifer forestMixed forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Wood blewit and Lilac bonnet be mixed up?
Yes. These species look alike, and Lilac bonnet is poisonous, so a mistake is dangerous. Pay attention to the season, use, size.
How to tell Wood blewit from Lilac bonnet?
The main differences: season: Wood blewit — autumn, Lilac bonnet — summer, autumn; use: Wood blewit — cook fresh, pickling, drying, Lilac bonnet — not eaten; size: Wood blewit — medium (5–15 cm), Lilac bonnet — small (up to 5 cm). As for edibility: Wood blewit is conditionally edible, Lilac bonnet is poisonous. The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.
Which is more dangerous — Wood blewit or Lilac bonnet?
More dangerous: Lilac bonnet, which is poisonous. Wood blewit is conditionally edible. If you have even the slightest doubt, don't pick the mushroom.
Is Lilac bonnet edible?
Lilac bonnet — poisonous. It must not be picked or eaten.
When do Wood blewit and Lilac bonnet grow?
Wood blewit — September–December; Lilac bonnet — August–November.

Sources

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