Laccaria ochropurpurea

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Hydnangiaceae > Laccaria . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This robust and beautiful mushroom is often found in late summer or fall, fruiting in large numbers under hardwoods or conifers east of the Rocky Mountains. The purple gills, pale brownish to lilac cap, distinctive stature, and white spore print distinguish it from other mushrooms. It bears a close resemblance to many species of Cortinarius in the subgenus Seriocybe, but those mushrooms have a cortina covering the young gills, and rusty brown spore prints (consequently, the gills in mature specimens are also rusty brown).

Laccaria ochropurpurea is extremely variable in its colors and stature. It frequently disappoints mushroom hunters who have gotten down on hands and knees to examine a thrilling, never-before-found species--that turns out to be just another Laccaria ochropurpurea.

Laccaria ochropurpurea is a good edible, but is not a mushroom that novice mushroom hunters should collect for the table, since it bears such a close resemblance to poisonous Cortinarius species. A spore print is a must in this case!

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods and conifers; growing alone to rather gregariously; especially partial to oaks and Beech, but also frequently found in young plantations of Eastern White Pine; common; late summer and fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains.

Cap: 3.5-12 cm; broadly convex, becoming flat and sometimes uplifted; often with a central depression; the margin even or inrolled, not lined; nearly smooth or finely hairy-scaly; light lilac brown becoming light brown, fading to buff.

Gills: Attached to the stem, or rarely running down the length of the stem; nearly distant, or close; thick; waxy; dark purple; in age sometimes dusted with white from spores.

Stem: 4.5-19 cm long; .5-2.5 cm thick; equal or swollen at the base; coarsely hairy or scaly; colored like the cap; with lilac basal mycelium; solid; sometimes discoloring brownish to reddish brown.

Flesh: Thick; colored like the cap or paler.

Taste: Mild; odor mild.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-9 x 7-9 µ; round or nearly so; ornamented with spines 1-2 µ long and 1-1.5 µ wide at their bases. Basidia 4-spored, rarely 2-spored.

REFERENCES: (Berkeley, 1845) Peck, 1887. (Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Weber & Smith, 1985; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Horn, Kay & Abel, 1993; Mueller, 1997; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 09109603, 08240209, 10160303 (imperfect fungus).

In my area (central Illinois), Laccaria ochropurpurea is the frequent victim of an attack by a greenish, mossy-looking imperfect fungus. An "imperfect fungus," also known as an anamorph, is the asexual stage of a fungus that may or may not also have a "pefect" or sexual stage, also known as a teleomorph. Although the imperfect fungus attacking Laccaria ochropurpurea is reminiscent of some species of Hypomyces, the Hypomyces species that attack mushrooms are teleomorphs, producing asci and sexual spores. Laccaria ochropurpurea's attacker, by contrast, bears "conidia," or asexual spores, that feature thick dividing walls.

Further Online Information:

Laccaria ochropurpurea at Mueller's Laccaria
Laccaria ochropurpurea at Roger's Mushrooms

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2003, October). Laccaria ochropurpurea. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/laccaria_ochropurpurea.html