Field Blewit - Lepista saeva

Field Blewit - Lepista saeva

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Edible mushroom - novice

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Other common names: Blue Leg

 

Scientific name meaning: Lepista is Latin for Goblet, and Saeva is from the Latin Saevus, meaning wild or savage 

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Season - when will I find it? From Autumn to Winter
 

Habitat - where will I find it? The Field Blewit is found most often in grassland and occasionally woodland

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Description - what does it look like? 

Growth: The Field Blewit is a saprobic mushroom living on dead and decaying organic matter under the sward, or leaf litter. It grows in rings 

Cap: The cap is cream to buff-grey and dome-shaped. It can be a 5-15cm wide and has an inrolled margin. Mature specimens can have an uneven edge

Gills: Starting off very pale cream, the crowded gills turn more buff as they age. They are sinuate (attached to the stem via a small tooth-like attachment) or sometimes free of the stem

Flesh: cream to buff coloured

Stem: Sturdy and 1-3cm wide, the fibrous stem is flushed purple, especially in younger specimens. The base of the stem, which can reach 6cm tall, is often swollen

Smell: Perfumed/floral

Spore colour: Pale pink-buff to cream

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Possible lookalikes Could be confused with purple stemmed Webcap (Cortinarius) species. However, they often have a rust-brown spore deposit on there stems and are mycorrhizal with trees, so will grow near to them. Field Blewits are predominantly grassland species

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Use as a food Must be cooked and can be used exactly as a cultivated mushroom. It has a strong fragrant flavour, so works well with cream/cream substitutes

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Use in herbal medicine None known

If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner

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Hazards This mushroom can grow on roadside grass verges where it can accumulate traffic-related toxins. It is advisable to avoid harvesting from the sides of busy roads

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Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of fly species. Worth remembering when harvesting. Younger specimens tend to have less livestock inside!

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Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!