Mycena pura - Lilac Bonnet

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Mycena pura, the Lilac Bonnet (also referred to as the Lilac Bellcap), contains a small amount of the poison muscarine; therefore it should not be eaten. This is a common species in both deciduous and coniferous woodland, but it also occurs in some grassland sites.

Despite its common name the lilac coloration of this mushroom cannot be relied upon for identification: bright-yellow and whitish forms are quite common, and occasionally specimens are reported with pale blue caps.

Identification Guide

Mycena pura - yellow specimens from coastal grassland in North Wales

The colours of this very common mushroom are usually various shades of lilac or pink, depending upon the nature of the habitat and the amount of light that breaks through the tree canopy; however, particularly when in grassland they can look quite different, as seen in the yellow forms on the left.

When moist, the cap margins are distinctly lined.

	Cap 2 to 5cm in diameter when fully mature, the caps are usually lilac with a pale, almost white edge, but other colour forms do occur. In dry weather a pale area develops in the middle and gradually spreads until it covers the whole of the cap. Initially bell-shaped, the caps flatten with a slight umbo and eventually the edge turns up to reveal the pale gills.
	Gills Adnate or slightly decurrent, the crowded gills are pale grey with a slight lilac tint.
	Stem 3 to 8mm in diameter, the smooth stem is grey and untapering and 4 to 8cm long. Quite often the stipe of this bell cap is radially twisted.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	Strong odour of radish when crushed; slight taste of radish. (Note: this is a poisonous species.)
Habitat	Broadleaf and coniferous woodland; less commonly in open grassland.
Season	June to October.
Occurrence	Very common
Similar species	Mycena rosea, a similar bell-shaped fungus found in the same kinds of habitats, is considered by most mycologists to be a separate species; it is larger, with a rose-red cap, and it tends to appear a little later than Mycena pura.