(6 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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Wood Blewit
Edible 
Autumn 
Winter 
A lovely gourmet mushroom that can be found from November to February when there is not that many other mushrooms about.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Wood Blewit, Pied Bleu |
| Scientific Name | Lepista nuda |
| Season Start | Oct |
| Season End | Feb |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 10 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 12 |
Cap
Convex becoming flattened with a wide umbo, the edges often turning up when very mature. Starting lilac/blue becoming more brown then fading. Younger mushrooms have an inturned edge.
Gills
Gills Lilac, purple or blueish but can be paler especially when very mature. Crowded.
Stem
Bluey-purple and a bit fibrous, more often than not thick and stout although can be fairly thin, and can be slightly bulbous towards the base.
Flesh
Purple, lilac or blue sometimes white towards the middle fading with age.
Habitat
Saprobic on leaf litter in woodland, grassland, hedgerows and gardens.
Possible Confusion
Some of the Cortinarius species as they can have similar lilac blue colouring but they have an unpleasant smell and the spore print is rusty brown. The stem will usually have ring of rust brown due to the spores sticking to the ring zone.
The Clouded Agaric, Clitocybes nebularis, pictured, is always around in the same place and time of year as the Wood Blewit and usually fools you until further investigation when you notice the gills have no lilac or purple colouring and you walk off in disgust.
Spore Print
Off-white to pale pink. Ellipsoid. The spores should be scrapped into a small pile to get an accurate spore colour.
Taste / Smell
Mushroomy and strong, slightly perfumey with a solid, meaty texture when fairly dry but they can hold a lot of water. Can be used for most dishes and drys very well. Must be cooked before consumption.
Frequency
Very Common.
Other Facts
Must be cooked before consumption.
The Blewits like the cold and only start to appear when the temperature is constantly below 17 degrees and quite easily survive a frost.
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