Cortinarius iodes Berk. & Curt. subgenus Myxacium Spotted Cort. Cap 2-5cm across, convex expanding to bell-shaped; deep purple-violet to slightly yellowish on disc, often spotted irregularly with yellowish spots; smooth, very viscid in wet weather. Gills adnate, somewhat broad; violet then gray-cinnamon. Stem 40-75 x 5-15mm, often irregular and swollen at base; colored as cap; smooth, viscid below like cap, with faint ring zone at apex from cobwebby veil. Flesh soft; violet becoming pallid. Odor pleasant. Taste (of cuticle) mild. Spores ellipsoid, minutely roughened, 7-10 x 5-7µ., quotient 1.4. Deposit rust-brown. Edibility like all Cortinarius species- not recommended. Habitat common and abundant through eastern North America, rare in the Pacific Northwest. Season August-September. Comment The very similar Cortinarius iodeoides Kauffman differs in its bitter cap surface and longer, narrower spores.