How to identify Field Blewit

To correctly identify Field Blewit (Clitocybe saeva), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   5-15 cm in diameter, convex to plano-convex, becoming flattened or slightly depressed with age, sometimes with a wavy margin. The color ranges from buff, cream, or pale tan to yellowish-brown, often with a slightly greasy or moist feel when young, becoming dry. The margin is often inrolled when young.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Adnexed to sinuate, crowded, and relatively narrow. Color is initially whitish to pale cream, becoming buff or pinkish-buff with age due to spore development. They are not typically violet like the stem.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   5-10 cm long and 1-3 cm thick, robust, cylindrical or slightly club-shaped, often swollen towards the base. The most distinctive feature is its vibrant violet-blue to lilac-purple color, especially when young, fading somewhat with age. The surface is smooth or finely fibrillose, and it lacks a ring. The base often has white mycelial threads.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Thick, firm, and whitish to pale cream, sometimes with a faint purplish tinge near the stem. It has a mild, pleasant taste and a faint, slightly mealy or earthy odor.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Medium to large agaric mushroom, typically growing in troops, rings, or scattered.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Saprobic, growing terrestrially in grassy areas, pastures, meadows, parks, and lawns, often at the edges of woodlands. It prefers nutrient-rich, disturbed soils and is frequently found in fairy rings.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, dry to slightly greasy, often buff to cream.

Growth Form

Gregarious, often in rings or scattered groups.

Spore Print

Pinkish-buff to pale flesh-colored.

Body color

Cap: buff to cream; Stem: violet-blue.

Odor

Faintly mealy or earthy.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise significantly.

Height

5-10 cm

Cap Diameter

5-15 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnexed to sinuate.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical or slightly club-shaped, often swollen at the base.
• Stem surface: Smooth or finely fibrillose, vibrant violet-blue.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid.

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