| i believe they are clitocybe or lepista nuda. the spore print should be buff or pinkish tan. they grow in leaf litter or pine needles here locally and fruit in staggering numbers in the right woods. there is a greater and lesser form of this mushroom, however they both taste very good ..rich even. some ppl claim they taste too mushroomy. they colonize piles of grass clippings or the edges of compost piles easily by just throwing mushroom caps in these areas....or in the duff under windbreak pines.another macro feature to look for especially in the lessers is a tendency to grow with an offcenter "foot" at the base of the stipe. lepista nudas also dehydrate very quickly and are therefore a great mushroom to preserve for the winter. as mentioned in above posts cortinarius and inocybe contain species of similar looking purple/violet mushrooms. both of these tend to fruit just before l. nuda and therefore early collections should be scrutinized carefully. |