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Amethyst deceiver

Laccaria amethystina

Months

Season

Colour

Habitat

Two fungi growing next to eachother on the forest floor, a bright purple Amethyst Deceiver leans over the top of a creamy coloured Russula sp

How to identify:

CapDeep purple, fading to lilac and sometimes white in dry weather
Size2cm – 7cm
GillsWidely spaced, and similar in colour to the cap
Stem5mm – 10mm in diameter and 5cm – 10cm tall.  It is hollow, tough and fibrous, often twisted and sometimes flattened; deep purple at first, but becoming paler as the caps fade
SporesWhite

 

Where to find them?

Often occurring in large, crowded groups and usually found growing amongst leaf litter in coniferous or deciduous woods, commonly with Beech, Silver Birch or Oak.   

Don’t mistake it with

  • Older specimens with their pale caps are easily mistaken for the Deceiver Laccaria laccata, but the Amethyst Deceiver can be distinguished by the purple colouring that remains on the gills and the stipe
  • The Lilac Bonnet Mycena pura is another purple-lilac tinged mushroom, but has pale gills, more of a pink appearance, and the stem is not fibrous
  • The Lilac Fibrecap Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina is also similar, but is paler overall and does not have the purpley gills

Did you know?

The name ‘amethyst’ refers to the purple colouring of the young mushrooms and Laccaria means ‘lacquered’, referring to the shiny appearance of the fresh caps. 

Take part in the Waxcap Watch

This autumn, help Plantlife find Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps.

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