Violet Row (Lepista irina) photo and description

Violet Row (Lepista irina)

Hat:

Large, fleshy, with a diameter of 5 to 15 cm, the shape is from cushion-shaped in young mushrooms to prostrate, with uneven edges, in adult specimens; often uneven. Color – from whitish, matte, to pinkish-brown, often darker in the center than on the periphery. The flesh of the cap is thick, white, dense, with a pleasant floral (not perfume) smell and a sweetish taste.

Records:

Frequent, free (or even noticeably not reaching a massive stem), in young mushrooms they are whitish, then, as the spores develop, they turn pink.

Spore powder:

Pink.

Leg:

Massive, 1-2 cm in diameter, 5-10 cm high, slightly widened towards the base, whitish or pinkish-cream. The surface of the stem is covered with vertical streaks, characteristic of many members of the genus Lepista, which, however, are not always sufficiently noticeable. The pulp is fibrous, tough.

Spread:

Violet rowweed – an autumn mushroom, occurs in September-October simultaneously with purple rowing, Lepista nuda, and often in the same places, preferring the thinned edges of forests, both coniferous and deciduous. Grows in rows, circles, groups.

Similar species:

The violet row can be confused with the white form of the smoky talker (Clitocybe nebularis), but that one has plates descending along the leg, cottony loose flesh and a vulgar perfumery (not floral) smell. Long frosts, however, can beat off all smells, and then Lepista irina can be lost among dozens of other species, even among the smelly white row (Tricholoma album).

Edibility:

Polishing. Lepista irina is a good edible mushroom, at the level of the purple row. Unless, of course, the eater is not embarrassed by a slight violet smell, which persists even after heat treatment.