Violet Webcap

Cortinarius violaceus (L.) Gray

1 Observations

1 year ago Last Observed

The Violet Webcap (Cortinarius violaceus) is one of our most beautiful mushrooms, a deep, inky violet all over, from its dry, finely scaly cap to its crowded gills, club-shaped stem and even its flesh. As in all webcaps, the young gills are hidden by a cobweb-like veil, the cortina, and turn rusty brown as the spores ripen. It smells of cedar wood or leather.

It grows with broadleaf trees such as birch, beech and poplar, from July into October. It is a scarce and localised find in Britain, so every record is worth submitting. It is the type species of Cortinarius, the largest genus of gilled mushrooms.

The Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina) is smaller, fades as it dries and has a white spore print. No webcap should ever be eaten, as the genus includes deadly species such as the Deadly Webcap (Cortinarius rubellus).

Spore Print

Season

Native

toxic

Distribution

Widespread but very localised and generally uncommon

Habitat

With Betula, Populus and Fagus

Etymology

Cortinarius is from the Latin cortina, 'curtain', after the cobweb-like veil over the young gills. violaceus is Latin for 'violet-coloured'.

Associates

Betula, Fagus, Populus

Cap

Dark violet to almost blue-black, dry and covered in fine, felty scales.

Colour
Shape	Convex, Umbonate
Surface	Squamose, Tomentose
Width	5 - 10 cm

Gills

Crowded and dark violet, becoming rusty brown as the spores mature.

Colour
Attachment	Adnate
Spacing	crowded

Flesh

Violet throughout.

Colour
Odour	Cedar wood or leather
Taste	Mild

Stem

The stem is violet and fibrillose, 6-12 cm tall, with a bulbous to club-shaped base. Only vague bands of veil remain on it, the remains of the violet cortina that covers the gills when young.