Cortinarius lilacinocollosus   Moser 2000                                                          *California

It is most likely that this is the species that Moser called lilacinocollosus. The type was collected in the well known Bullard's Bar areas where this is the most common member of Section Variecolores. The occasional large size, fasciculate growth, micromorphology, odor and chemical reactions all agree. One problem with Moser's description is that he states that the lamellae lack lilac colors, but that assertion is probably the result of him having studied two collections only -- in general, such an assertion is very unlikely to hold true for a member of Section Variecolores where he himself placed the taxon. This species is common in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the Santa Cruz mountains with collections from those areas regularly appearing at mushroom fairs.  I have not seen it in other areas. The bluish cast is lost quickly after collecting and the basidiomata have a pronounced tendency to bruise brown. This species is a member of the Variecolores clade with Cortinarius latobalteatus (Jul. Schäff.) M.M. Moser 1967 as the closest European relative based on nrDNA data.

KOH5% -- yellow with an orange halo Spores: (9) 10-11 (13) x 4.5-5.5 (6)μ in shape very similar to the spores of Cortinarius patibilis and other members of the clade.