Cortinarius cyanites Fr. subgenus Sericeocybe Cap 7-15cm across, convex; a mixture of violaceous purple and reddish brown colors: a touch slimy at first, then dry-, covered in brownish fibrils or scales. Gills adnate: violet. keeping their color for a long time. Stem 90-150 x 20-35mm with a very large bulb before the stem extends and the cap expands, eventually becoming swollen as in my picture; pallid purplish; fibrillose. Flesh purple especialy near the exterior, turning red after 2 or 3 minutes when cut or bruised. Odor distinctive. Taste slight or a touch bitter. Spores lemon-shaped, warty, 8.8-11.5 x 5-6.5µ, quotient 1.7. Deposit rusty brown. Habitat in coniferous and deciduous woods. Uncommon. Found in the Pacific Northwest and Virginia and probably in other eastern states. Season August-October. Not edible. Comment Cut your specimen in half and rub the knife over the cut surface to bruise it: in a few minutes it will turn blood red in patches if it is this species.