You can usually see the remnants of the purple in the gills and sometimes in the flesh of the mushroom. It makes a beautiful addition to any dish. Some systematists place Clitocybe nuda into the genus Lepista , because of its tan to buff spore print. However in almost every other way it is a Clitocybe . If you're going to collect Clitocybe nuda for eating there are some precautions you will have to take.
Novices are often surprised to learn there are a number of other purple mushrooms.
Especially prevalent are purple Cortinarius species, such as the Cortinarius atkinsonianus shown on the left. Cortinarius species can be distinguished by their rusty brown spore print, mycorrhizal habit, and the presence of a cobwebby partial veil called a cortina, which is yellow in this species. There are at least eleven purple Cortinarius species, including C. violaceus , C. alboviolaceus and C. traganus . Cortinarius species should never be eaten, primarily because they have not been fully studied for toxins. There are many other Clitocybe species that are common in my part of the world.