Q. When is a blewit not a blewit?

pressld2 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-09-2011, 12:10 PM

A. When it's a webcap!

I posted these images in the Gallery labelled as Wood Blewit - Lepista nuda...

But Ashgale and Ken Burgess have both corrected me to Cortinarius. So my question now is which Cortinarius? I have some more images including a couple showing the gills, which might help.

And here are a couple of crops from those showing a bit more detail...

They were growing on acid soil (judging by the amount of heather) in woodland that was predominantly pine but with some birch. I'm afraid I can't answer questions about smell as I'm now 568 miles away from them!

C. Traganus is looking possible to me, with C. camphoratus another possibility.

Dave P.

Ditiola · #2 (**permalink**) 04-09-2011, 02:48 PM

Hi

I do not think you will get an answer without the microscope work, but others may think different!

Chris Yeates · #3 (**permalink**) 04-09-2011, 03:46 PM

looks like section Sericeocybe, possibly close to Cortinarius anomalus - but you'd need to check flesh reaction with KOH and whether it had subglobose spores - and that's for starters . . . .

Cortinarius is not for the fainthearted

Chris

pressld2 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-09-2011, 04:08 PM

Thanks gents. I guess I'll have to stick with Cortinarius sp. I thought that might be the case when Ken didn't offer a species name.

Dave P.

ashgale · #5 (**permalink**) 04-09-2011, 08:58 PM

Hi Dave,
my "correction" of your wood blewitt was more in the way of being a suggestion only,

as both Ditiola & Chris have pointed out Cortinarius is a very difficult group,
and i am pleased to get one to genus level, let alone species

i have mistaken L.nuda in the past, only to discover they were Cortinarius by the rusty brown spore print, as opposed to the pink of Lepista,

and if it was not for the fact that yours had bits of veil remanants on the cap, i would not have queried your find at all,
ashgale.

pressld2 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-09-2011, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashgale

Hi Dave,
my "correction" of your wood blewitt was more in the way of being a suggestion only,

But an excellent suggestion! I'm always happy to be "corrected" over my IDs, especially when you go out of your way to give me the reasons why. That's what makes WAB such a great learning resource for dabblers and generalists like me.

Dave P.

ashgale · #7 (**permalink**) 05-09-2011, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pressld2

But an excellent suggestion! I'm always happy to be "corrected" over my IDs, especially when you go out of your way to give me the reasons why. That's what makes WAB such a great learning resource for dabblers and generalists like me.

Dave P.

i think your term "dabblers and generalists" sounds like a great description of myself. and i suspect, a great many more WAB users

and as you rightly say WAB is a great site to gain knowledge on virtually anthing
wildlife related,

ashgale.