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)
POISONOUS
Eating it causes poisoning. Do not pick it unless you have identified it with certainty.
Contains muscarine in dangerous doses (a muscarinic receptor agonist: it acts like acetylcholine and causes muscarinic syndrome) and traces of psilocybin and related tryptamines (psychoactive). Poisoning symptoms appear 30 min - 2 h after eating: heavy salivation, sweating, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constricted pupils, and in severe cases psychoactive effects (hallucinations, panic, tachycardia). Symptoms last 6-12 hours. The antidote for muscarinic syndrome is atropine, given by a doctor. Symptomatic treatment: gastric lavage, activated charcoal, IV fluids. No serious fatal cases have been reported, but among the "mild" poisonous species it is one of the most genuinely dangerous. Children are especially vulnerable.
If you suspect poisoning, call an ambulance immediately: 112 (the European emergency number) or your local emergency number
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

Wood blewit
Lepista nuda
📊 Comparing characteristics
⚠ Highlighted rows are the key differences between the edible and the dangerous mushroom
| Characteristic | Lilac bonnet | 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
August – November
Wood blewit
Fruiting season
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
Wood blewit
👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can Wood blewit and Lilac bonnet be mixed up?
How to tell Wood blewit from Lilac bonnet?
Which is more dangerous — Wood blewit or Lilac bonnet?
Is Lilac bonnet edible?
When do Wood blewit and Lilac bonnet grow?
Sources
- [1]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [2]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [3]MycoBank Database
- [4]Index Fungorum
- [5]GBIF
- [6]iNaturalist Ukraine