The false blewit (Cortinarius eucaeruleus) is one of the violet-coloured species of the Cortinarius genus that may be mistaken because the colour with the various edible species of genus Lepista that are known as blewits (L.nuda, L.sordida, L.glaucocana).
The false blewit shows the common characteristics of the very extensive Cortinarius genus: an initially convex cap with radial fibrils, rust-coloured spores that stain the gills, a thin partial veil that tears quickly and leaves traces in the middle section of the stem, and a bulb at the bottom of the stem. The cap cuticle of the false blewit is violet, even in larger specimens, their gills are lighter violet, dense, notched and with numerous lamellas, and its stem is same pale violet than the gills and it has a bulb at the bottom. When cut, the flesh is white on the cap and the bulb, while violet on the rest of the stem.
The false blue stem pops up in autumn in oak and holm oak forests. There are many more species of the Cortinarius genus sharing same violet colour –C.caerulescens, C.calochrous, C.elatior, C.xanthophyllus… – which are hard to distinguish and that can thrive together in the same planifolia forests.
[photo Jordi Badia]