The Blewit is popular in many Temperate regions of the world it has similarities with several Cortinarius members which differ in the following ways, when young having a cortina (cobweb-like gill covering) and when mature the Cortinarius spores are rusty coloured. The Blewit on the other hand has light pink spore print. It is essential to make a spore print and the Blewit should always be cooked to destroy substances that damage red blood cells.
Young buttons appearing after light snow in August. Growing on piles of mulch and lawn clippings.
Lifting some up to see the gills, when young they are lilac, there is no ring. The caps are brownish with bluish hues when young.
Bluish mycelium present sometimes.
Looking at the stem it is bulbous towards the base and closer inspection reveals a flaky texture, like cracked paint.
The cap margin is inrolled, the gills are attached to the stem.
Growing under Casuarina Sydney. Fully mature with pinkish gills but still lilac hues present.
Mature specimens April Tasmania. These caps have opened out and are wavy. The margin is still inrolled like your ear. The gill colour has notably changed from lilac to pinkish to light tan. The cap has also washed out.
Older specimen still presenting colour when cut. The stem butt can be used for cultivation. These mushrooms are commercially cultivated in France.
They are self consuming and make a great addition to your compost area for the home gardener. The distribution is NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA
To have a look at Blewits in Western Australia
Preserving spore prints on alfoil and keep labelled in a ziploc. These can be dispersed amongst cultivators to select varieties. Some research with Australian strains has been carried out. Making cardboard spawn using the whole mushroom chopped up, then adding dowels is worth experimenting with. I’ve had no problems growing the culture from spore and transferring to Hibiscus dowels. For growers further North wild strains growing around Casuarina on the Northern Beaches in Sydney are worth selecting for the area is more subtropical.
Further reading A Field Guide To The Fungi of Australia by A.M Young
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