CORTINARIUS violaceus is the darkest purple cort. It has a purple black cuticle, flesh and gills. Purple stem with bulbous base. Rusty-ochre spore print. Not useful for dyeing. Edible, but bitter. In NA grows under conifers primarily. This is in the Cortinariceae family of the Agaricales order.
Cortinarius violaceus (L.) Gray 1821
Fruitbodies of the Violet Cort have deep purple caps, cortinas, gills, stems and flesh. Caps are dry, broadly convex, often with a central bump. The gills have cystidia on the edges as well as the and sides. This is not a characteristic of other mushrooms in the genus. The stipe has a bulbous base with purple mycelium. Cortinarius violaceous may be a species cluster. They are mycorrhizal with conifers and broadleaf trees. Considered edible by some mycologists, and dangerous to consume by others.
Cortinarius violaceous is in the Cortinarius family of the Agaricales order.
