Violet Webcap

Cortinarius violaceus

Cortinarius violaceus, commonly known as the violet webcap or violet cort, is a fungus in the webcap genus, Cortinarius, for which it serves as the type species. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and has undergone several name changes. It is readily distinguished from other species in the genus by its dark colouration and distinct cystidia. There are some populations that seem to prefer deciduous trees and others that prefer pines, but no genetic divergence between the two has been found. When identified as taxonomically separate from the deciduous-preferring populations, the pine-preferring populations have been referred to either as a separate species, C. hercynicus, or as a subspecies, C. violaceus ssp. hercynicus. Other populations once identified as C. violaceus or close to that species have now been described as new and separate species, such as C. palatinus, C. neotropicus, C. altissimus, C. kioloensis and C. hallowellensis.

Cortinarius

Cortinarius is a globally distributed genus of fungus in the family Cortinariaceae. Its members are commonly known by the names cortinar and webcap. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2,700 widespread species.

Violet (color)

Violet is the color of light at the short wavelength end of the visible spectrum. It is one of the seven colors that Isaac Newton labeled when dividing the spectrum of visible light in 1704. Violet light has a wavelength between approximately 380 and 435 nanometers. The color's name is derived from the Viola genus of flowers.

violet

Noun

1. A plant or flower of the genus Viola, especially the fragrant Viola odorata; similar-looking plants and flowers.
2. A person thought to resemble V. odorata, especially in its beauty and delicacy.

Adjective

1. Of a violet colour.

webcap

Noun

1. A mushroom of the agaric genus Cortinarius, many of which are highly poisonous.