Species details

Pearly webcap

Cortinarius alboviolaceus

Extra caution required

Description

A silky whitish to pale violet webcap with a broad blunt umbo and fibrous veil remnants on the stem.

Identification features

The gills start violet and become clay to rusty brown as the spores mature. The cap is dry and silky; the stem is pale to violet and often slightly club-shaped.

Identification checklist

Check for a dry silky pale-lilac to whitish-violet cap with a broad umbo, young violet gills that turn rusty brown, and a cobweb-like cortina. Rust-brown spores and the gill colour change are important Cortinarius characters.

How to separate similar species

Pale violet webcaps can be very similar. Wood blewit lacks a cortina and does not have a rusty-brown spore print. A photograph that does not show the stem, gills and young veil remnants is insufficient for reliable identification.

Habitat

A mycorrhizal species in deciduous and mixed woodland, especially with beech and other hardwoods; summer to late autumn.