Deadly poisonous mushroom - beginner identification Season - summer to autumn Common names lilac fibrecap, purple fibrecap
Scientific name meaning: Inocybe comes for the Greek words Inodes meaning fibrous and Kybe, meaning head. Lilacina is from the Latin Lilacinus, meaning lilac in colour
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus that associates with deciduous and coniferous trees, though less often with the latter. |
Overall structure and growth  A small mushroom that appears in groups, which can contain a few to very many specimens. |
Cap  The lilac cap, which pales with age, starts off conical and flattens with time. It has a pointed central umbo, which is often tinted brown. Fibres radiate out from the centre of the cap. As the fruit body ages, the cap splits along these fibres. |
Gills and spores  The gills, which can be sinuate or adenexed, are very pale grey, almost white, at first. As they age, they turn clay brown, which is also the colour of the spores. |
Stem  The stem can be white with a lilac flush or lilac. It often turns clay-brown as it ages. Between 3 and 6mm wide, it can reach 6cm tall. The base is sometimes fibrous. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The flesh is grey-white with a lilac flush, with stronger lilac colouring at the margins. Odour is mealy or earthy. Although taste is recorded as mild, it is not advised to taste this mushroom as it is deadly poisonous. |
Possible lookalikes  The edible Amethyst deciever (Laccaria amethystina), pictured, could be confused with the Lilac fibrecap due to their similar colouring, growth habit and habitat. However, the Amethyst deceiver has distant (widely spaced) gills, which are a deep purple, not grey-white to clay-brown. |
Use as a food This mushroom is deadly poisonous and should not be consumes Hazards Deadly poisonous
Use in herbal medicine and medicine None known. If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species Food sources of many invertebrates
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!
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