Clavaria purpurea Fr. Fruit body 3-12cm high, 2-6mm wide individually; numerous slender cylindrical to spindle-shaped, compressed fruit bodies in a tuft; purple, lavender, amethyst, or pale brownish or smoky purple fading to pinky-buff. Stem indistinct, white-hairy at base. Flesh brittle; white or similar but paler than fruit body. Odor not distinctive. Spores ellipsoid to oblong, smooth, 5.5-9 x 3-5µ. Deposit white. Habitat in groups or clusters on wet soil near conifers in mountainous areas. Common in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest but rare in other parts of northern North America. Al;so in Europe. Season July-October. Said to be edible.