Cortinarius violaceus

9.9

A deep purple mushroom with a scaly cap that grows in temperate forests

noun

Specialized

: Cortinarius violaceus

The deep purple cap of the Cortinarius violaceus makes it easy to spot in the forest.

Examples

Unlike many edible mushrooms, Cortinarius violaceus is admired mostly for its vivid color rather than culinary value.
I found a Cortinarius violaceus while hiking in the forest.
A mycologist documented a rare cluster of Cortinarius violaceus during her fieldwork in Scandinavia.
Look at that Cortinarius violaceus!
A mycologist documented a rare cluster of Cortinarius violaceus during her fieldwork in Scandinavia.
The deep purple cap of the Cortinarius violaceus makes it easy to spot in the forest.
Unlike many edible mushrooms, Cortinarius violaceus is admired mostly for its vivid color rather than culinary value.

Surface Forms

Cortinarius violaceus singular

Cortinarius violacei plural

Morphology

Cortinarius + violaceus

This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species epithet). Even though the epithet 'violaceus' ultimately derives from Latin for 'violet', the form and taxonomic naming convention are specialized and not part of ordinary English composition, and the provided data shows 'violaceus' is not in the learner dictionary. An average B1 learner who knows everyday English words would not be able to derive the species meaning from these constituents, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Cortinarius violaceus comes from old Latin words: cortina means 'curtain' and violaceus means 'violet'. Young mushrooms often have a thin, web-like cover like a tiny curtain and a deep purple cap, so the name describes a purple, curtain-like mushroom.