About this fungus
Purple Laccaria is a fungus in the Hydnangiaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A large, sturdy North American Laccaria whose cap often fades to buff while its thick, widely spaced gills remain strikingly purple.
What to check
Look for the contrast between a pale lilac, pink-brown or buff cap and thick purple gills, plus a fibrous ringless stem and white spore print. Check for the absence of both a volva and the cobweb-like veil found in young Cortinarius.
Variation
Fresh caps may be lilac or purplish brown but can fade markedly towards buff or near white. Size and persistent purple gills are more useful than cap colour alone.
Lookalikes
Other Laccaria species overlap in colour but are often smaller or lose more of the purple from their gills. Purple Cortinarius species develop rusty-brown spores and may retain cobweb-like veil fibres, unlike the white-spored, veil-free Purple Laccaria.
Habitat and range
Mycorrhizal with broadleaf and conifer trees in North America, especially east of the Rocky Mountains, fruiting on woodland soil from summer into autumn.
Food safety
Edible.
Use this profile to learn what to examine and compare, not as proof that a mushroom is safe to eat. Check the whole specimen and every important lookalike before reaching an identification.