Emperor Cortinar

Appearance

The cap is 4 to 8 cm broad, deep violet at first and then becomes violet-brown with age, convex, glutinous, and smooth. The flesh is thick and tinted lavender. The gills are brown and tinted lilac-violet. The stipe is 6 to 8 cm long, cylindrical, often swollen at the base, pale lilac above the cortina and deep violet below it. The spores are brown and fruit bodies will produce a brown spore print. The species has no odor. When "C. archeri" is young, they have a cortina, but it is flimsy and tears apart as the cap expands which is why there are few traces of it on fully mature specimens.

Habitat

The species is common in eucalypt or mixed forests and is mycorrhizal, forms a close relationship with the roots of eucalypts or closely related trees. Although considered solitary, the mushroom can commonly be found in groups of two or three. It can thrive in recently burnt forests and can also be found in suburban lawns.

This is the only "Cortinarius" species that was found in the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria's first fungi foray to Coranderrk Bush Sanctuary. The species was found during the 15th New Zealand Fungal Foray at the New Zealand Fungal Herbarium. The species is at Morwell National Park. It can also be found at Boronia Park. It is regularly seen in the Lane Cove National Park, especially around North Ryde.