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]
| Western cypress blewit | |
|---|---|
| |
| Contra Costa County, California, 2024 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Clitocybaceae |
| Genus: | Clitocybe |
| Species: | C. violaceifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Clitocybe violaceifolia Murrill, 1913
| |
Clitocybe violaceifolia | |
|---|---|
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium is adnexed |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Edibility is edible, but unpalatable |
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."[3]
The western cypress blewit has been documented in Oregon, California, and Arizona.[4]
References
edit- ^ Rockefeller, Alan (2024-01-23). "Clitocybe violaceifolia". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
- ^ K.A. (2024-02-22). "["Found these blewits under cypress..."]". The California Mushroom Identification Forum (facebook.com). Retrieved 2024-02-24.
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.
- ^ a b Murrill, William A. (1913). "The Agaricaceae of the Pacific Coast—IV. New Species of Clitocybe and Melanoleuca". Mycologia. 5 (4). Mycological Society of America, Mycological Society of New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, N.Y.: New York Botanical Garden: 206–223. doi:10.1080/00275514.1913.12018520. ISSN 0027-5514. JSTOR 3753386. LCCN 57051730. OCLC 1640733 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ "Clitocybe violaceifolia (research-grade observations map)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
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