Blewit, Wood Blewit, bluefoot, blue-stalk fungi, pied bleu, pied violet
(Clitocybe saeva or Lepista saeva or L. nuda)
The blewit mushroom is a well-known edible fungus, and earns its name as a corruption of “blue hat”. This is aptly given to describe its medium-to-large size with a bluish-lilac caps, gills, and stems. Growing up to four inches across, most species have the bluish colour; but field blewits tend to be pale gray or brown, except for the stem which will have the familiar tinge of blue or lilac. They have a meaty consistency and a good flavour, somewhat like the pine mushroom. They are better eaten young, when they are well-flavoured . They should never be eaten raw as they contain cyanic acid. They are also exceptionally clean mushrooms, and can be found growing in woodlands, parks, and hedges, usually on leaf debris. Caution: Care should be taken when foraging as this mushroom can easily be mistaken for several mushrooms in the Cortinarius family including the Violet Cortinarius (Cortinarius violaceus and Lilac Conifer Cortinarius (Cortinarius traganus). Several members of this family are toxic and their colours are highly variable.
