Collybia personata

Taxonomy

This species was originally proclaimed by Elias Fries in 1818, as Agaricus personatus. Cooke proposed in 1871 another name still in use until recently — Lepista personata. Other names were to follow, namely Lepista saeva by P. D. Orton in 1960 and Clitocybe saeva by H. E. Bigelow & A. H. Smith in 1969, the latter placing the fungus in the larger genus Clitocybe. In Latin, the specific epithet sævus is an adjective meaning either fierce, outrageous, angry or strong. Likewise, personatus is a participle meaning disguised, pretended or false.

Along with Collybia nuda (formerly Lepista nuda), the species was moved to the genus Collybia in 2023.

Description

The fruiting body of the mushroom resembles an agaric. The cap is at first hemispherical or convex, becoming flat to slightly concave with maturity, up to 12 cm in diameter. The cap cuticle is colored cream to light brown with a smooth texture to the touch and is often seen glistening when fresh. Along the periphery, the cap ends in a thick incurved margin which may unfold as the mushroom expands. The white to pallid flesh is thick, firm and delicate upon slicing. The underside of the cap bears crowded pinkish, cream to light brown gills, which are free or emarginate in relation to the stem.

The stem is cylindrical with a bulbous, or sometimes tapering base, and does not bear a ring. The stem is covered by a striking lavender or lilac-coloured fibrous skin which fades in older individuals, and has a thick, firm flesh concolorous with that of the cap. It is up to 3–7 cm tall and 1–3 cm in diameter.

Under a light microscope, the spores are seen hyaline to pink, ellipsoid in shape, and with fine warts. The spore dimensions are 6–8 by 4–5 μm. The species produces a pale pink spore print.

Similar species

it is morphologically similar to C. nuda (wood blewit).

It also resembles Clitocybe tarda, which may be the identity of alleged California specimens.

Distribution and habitat

Collybia personata is found fruiting in open grasslands, parks, pastures, forest clearings, and in the vicinity of forest edges, unlike C. nuda which is commonly found in woodland. Collybia personata fruits gregariously, forming distinctive fairy rings. In the United Kingdom, the season extends from September through to December.

Edibility

Field blewits are edible.

Blewits can be eaten as a cream sauce or sautéed in butter; they can also be cooked like tripe or as an omelette filling.

Field blewits are often infested with fly larvae and don't store very well; they should therefore be used soon after picking. They are also very porous, so they are best picked on a dry day.

References

References

1. "''Lepista personata'' taxon record details at Index Fungorum". CAB International.
2. (1828). "Latin dictionary: Morell's abridgment". Moon, Boys & Graves.
3. (November 2023). "Systematic arrangement within the family Clitocybaceae (Tricholomatineae, Agaricales): phylogenetic and phylogenomic evidence, morphological data and muscarine-producing innovation". Fungal Diversity.
4. (1978). "The Fungi in Bulgaria (Гъбите в България)". [[Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]].
5. "California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide".
6. Arora, David. (1986). "Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi". Ten Speed Press.
7. Bas C.. (1995). "Flora Agaricina Neerlandica: Critical Monographs on Families of Agarics and Boleti Occurring in the Netherlands Vol. 3". CRC Press.
8. Mabey, Richard. (2004). "Food for Free". HarperCollins.
9. Peterson, Jens H.. (2023). "Edible Fungi of Britain and Northern Europe: How to Identify, Collect and Prepare". Princeton University Press.