Cortinarius subfoetidus  A.H. Sm. (1944)                                                             *Collection: Calfiornia

Collection and photo: Ryane Snow, Mendocino, CA

This is one of the characteristic species of the Pacific Northwest that stands apart with its features -- pale pinkish lilac color, a distinctive sock on the stipe and a strong odor that has been described as a combination of fragrant and fetid. This species is not very common in Calfiornia and Smith reports his largest collections from Idaho. There are a number of similar pinkish-lilac Phlegmaciums in California that fall in Sections Caerulescentes or Calochroi.

This is the color that the collection assumed after it dried some. Much bluer.

Photo R.M. Davis