Mushroom lovers, you’ll love to learn about this stunning fungus, i.e. the Laccaria amethystine.
It’s a mushroom similar to the L. Laccata or the deceiver; however, this one is entirely deeply violet when it’s wet and pale grey when it’s dry.
This species grows in specific habitats and usually grow in small scattered groups.
Common in Ireland and Britain, it’s also a mushroom that grows in Europe, Asia, and North America.
The Stunning Purple Mushroom that Looks like It Has the Whole Galaxy
For the first time, the deceiver amethyst was described back in 1778 by William Hudson, an English botanist, who named it first Agaricus amethystinus.
Then, another British mycologist, Mordecai Cubitt Cooke, moved it into the current genus in the year 1884 and since then, we know it as the L. amethystina.
The amazing epithet amethystina refers to the amethyst colouring of the woodland mushroom’s cap.
When they grow near moss, they’re not difficult to spot thanks to their strong color. They can be seen among dark damp leaf litter.
Interestingly, old caps go almost white when the weather is dry and can be easily mistake for the laccata (the deceiver) as well as with some other fawn or pale ochre mushrooms, some of which are actually toxic! So, be careful there.
Their caps, which can grow between 2 and 7 cm in diameter, are first convex and then, as they mature, they become flatter. The magic happens during wet weather- the young caps go deep purple.
This mushroom also has broad and deep gills and they’re interspersed with shorter gills. Long before the cap fades to buff; its gills start to lose their color.
June to November is their season in Ireland and Britain. Make sure you don’t confuse them with the mycena pura, another violet color mushroom; however, this one has paler gills and doesn’t have fibrous stems.
Can You Eat the Amethyst Mushroom?
Although the mushroom’s caps are edible, you need a lot of them to make a quality and tasty meal. However, its stems are tough and inedible.
Have you ever seen this mushroom that looks like it holds the whole galaxy inside? Tell us what you think about it in the comment section!
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