Laccaria amethystina

Laccaria amethystina

The Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina (Hudson, 1778) Cooke, 1884) is a mushroom belonging to the Hydnangiaceae family.

Systematics –
Domain Eukaryota,
Kingdom Fungi,
Division Basidiomycota,
Class Basidiomycetes,
Order Agaricales,
Family Hydnangiaceae,
Genus Laccaria,
Species L. amethistina.
The following are a basionym:
– Agaricus amethystinus Hudson, Flora anglica: 612, 1778.
The following are synonymous terms:
– Agaricus amethystinus var. ioides Pers.;
– Agaricus amethystinus var. purpurellus Pers.;
– Agaricus lividopurpureus With.;
– Clitocybe amethystina (Cooke) Peck;
– Collybia amethystina (Cooke) Quél.;
– Laccaria amethystea var. vinosostriata Ballero & Contu;
– Laccaria hudsonii Pázmány;
– Laccaria hudsonii var. vinosostriata (Ballero & Contu) Pázmány;
– Laccaria laccata subsp. amethystina (Huds.) Rea, 1922;
– Laccaria laccata var. amethystea (Bull.) Anon.;
– Laccaria laccata var. amethystina (Cooke) Rea;
– Russuliopsis laccata var. amethystina (Cooke) J.Schröt..

Etymology –
The term Laccaria derives from the Medieval Latin “laccare,” meaning “to dye,” and from the Persian “lak” or “lakk,” meaning lacquer or varnish.
The specific epithet amethystina derives from the Latin “amethysteus,” which resembles the pale purple amethyst.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Laccaria amethystina is a gregarious mushroom that grows in small groups from summer to late autumn in all soils rich in organic matter (humus), from hilly to mountainous areas, in both deciduous and coniferous forests.

Identification –
Laccaria amethystina is a mushroom with a small cap, 2-5 cm, rarely larger. It is convex in young specimens, then flattened with a small central depression. It remains involute at the margin for a long time, finally becoming distended, generally wavy and relatively furrowed.
The cap colors are uniformly bright amethyst purple, darker especially when young, tending to fade to bluish-gray as it matures and can take on a creamy-ochre color with purplish hues in dry weather. The cuticle is opaque, slightly felted, hygrophanous, and decorated with small, appressed scales (lenses) at the center.
The gills are broadly adnate to slightly decurrent, broad and of good thickness, characteristically anastomosed at the base, and deep violet in color with a concolorous edge.
The stipe is 5-7(10) cm × 4-8 mm, fairly slender and often wider toward the top, a more or less dark amethyst purple in color (concoloring with the cap), grooved longitudinally by whitish fibrils and white at the base, paling in dry weather, and tending to tear.
The flesh is sparse in the cap, fibrous and elastic in the stipe. When cross-sectioned, it appears light purple in color on the upper part (cap) and whitish on the stipe. The odor and taste are sweetish and pleasant.
Under the microscope, subglobose, aculeate spores are observed, 8-11 × 7-9.5 µm. The basidia are clavate, tetrasporic, with buckle joints, 40-49 × 10-12 µm. The cystidia are thread-like or vesicular.

Cultivation –
Laccaria amethystina is a mushroom with little nutritional value and is therefore not cultivated.

Uses and Traditions –
Laccaria amethystina is a mushroom with thin, fragile flesh on the cap and fibrous stipe. It is purple in color, fading toward the base of the stipe, turning grayish-purple. It has a mild odor and flavor but little culinary value.
Although its striking color suggests possible toxicity, it is a reasonably edible mushroom, used primarily in mixed forests.
It is an unmistakable species due to the amethyst-purple color present on both the cap and stipe; only in very dry weather can older specimens lose their characteristic color, making it difficult to identify. It is a fairly common species, preferring moist, cool forests of both broadleaf and coniferous trees.
Field identification is facilitated by its morphochromatic characteristics (size, shape, and uniform coloration). A highly unlikely confusion with a young, mature Cortinarius violaceus is avoided by observing the presence of a “curtain” and a bulb at the base of the stem. The toxic Mycena pura, especially in specimens dehydrated by dry weather, can mislead the collector. It has a smooth cap, streaked at the edge for transparency, whitish gills, and only a hint of violet. These macroscopic characteristics, along with a distinctly horseradish odor, are useful for field identification.

Preparation Instructions –
Laccaria amethystina is a showy mushroom due to its deep purple coloration. Its harvest, though not very profitable, was once done primarily to enhance or decorate certain dishes. Today, we advise against its consumption due to reports of gastrointestinal problems and to protect the habitats where it grows.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Cetto B., 2008. Mushrooms from the True, Saturnia, Trento.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (eds.), 2005. An Annotated Checklist of the Italian Vascular Flora, Palombi Editore.

Photo Source:
– https://svampe.databasen.org/uploads/2024-10438275_ry5D5e7dC.JPG

Warning: The pharmaceutical applications and dietary uses are provided for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute medical prescriptions. We therefore decline any responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic, or nutritional purposes.