Clitocybe violaceifolia explained

Clitocybe violaceifolia, also known as the western cypress blewit, is a species of gilled mushroom native to western North America. C. violaceifolia can be distinguished from its choice-edible cousin, the wood blewit, by its association with trees in the cypress family. According to California mycologist Alan Rockefeller, C. violaceifolia "smells like mud".^[1] These mushrooms are theoretically edible but are reportedly quite unpalatable.^[2]

This species was first described by William A. Murrill in 1913 from a type species collected near Salem, Oregon by Morton E. Peck.^[3] Murrill's description was "Pileus convex, somewhat gibbous, solitary, 3 cm. broad; surface slightly viscid when moist, smooth, glabrous, grayish-violet tinted with brown at the center, margin entire, slightly paler; lamellae very narrow, adnexed to slightly decurrent, rather crowded, arcuate, pale-violet; spores ellipsoid, smooth, hyaline, 7-8 X 3.5-4.5; stipe equal, fleshy, solid, smooth, glabrous, grayish-violet, mycelioid at the base, 3 cm. long, 6 mm. thick."

The western cypress blewit has been documented in Oregon, California, and Arizona.^[4]

References

violaceifolia

Notes and References

Web site: Rockefeller . Alan . 2024-01-23 . Clitocybe violaceifolia . 2024-02-24 . iNaturalist . en.
Web site: K.A. . 2024-02-22 . ["Found these blewits under cypress..."] ]. registration . 2024-02-24 . The California Mushroom Identification Forum (facebook.com) . Katlyn A. [OP]: Found these blewits under cypress and they taste like shit. When I cut into them they even had cypress leaves inside of them.[...] Victoria G.: I ruined a dinner party with blewits from under cypress once! Foul![...] Debbie H.: I had that happen once and I didn't know why.[...] Desiree H.: That's pretty much how they taste, IMO.[...] Aidan H.: So nasty..
Murrill . William A. . William A. Murrill . The Agaricaceae of the Pacific Coast—IV. New Species of Clitocybe and Melanoleuca . Mycologia . Mycological Society of America, Mycological Society of New York Botanical Garden . 1913 . New York Botanical Garden . 5 . 4 . 206–223 . 0027-5514 . 57051730 . 1640733 . 3753386. Biodiversity Heritage Library. Bronx, N.Y. . 10.1080/00275514.1913.12018520 .
Web site: Clitocybe violaceifolia (research-grade observations map) . 2024-02-24 . iNaturalist . en.