Holotype (PDD 27026): Isotype (Herb. HK. ZT 69/222): 'Doon River, Middle Fiord, Lake Te Anau, Fiiordland N.P., N.Z; leg. Horak, 3.IV.1969'.

Pileus 15-25 mm diam., hemispherical at first or convex with an umbo, later becoming umbonate or plano-convex, dark brown with distinct lilac tinge, colour fading in aged carpophores, densely squamulose or scaly, strongly striate, hygrophanous, dry. Lamellae (L 10-15, l 3), adnate or emarginate, grey or dark beige, turning brownish-pink with lilac tinge, gill edge even and concolorous. Stipe 15-30 x 2 mm, cylindrical, concolorous with pileus, innately fibrillose, dry, fistulose, solitary. Context dark brown, membranous. Odor acidulous. Taste not distinctive.
Spores 11-12 x 7-9.5 µm, 6-sided. Basidia 35-45 x 12 µm, 4-spored. Cheilocystidia (and pleurostidia) 90-140 x 12-16 µm, awl-shaped or fusoid, apically tapering to a rounded tip, membrane thin-walled and hyaline. Caulocystidia none. Cuticle a trichoderm of fasciculate, cylindrical hyphae (8-15 µm diam.), terminal cells conical, with brown plasmatic pigment. Clamp connections abundant.

On soil in forests (under Nothofagus menziesii, Leptospermum scoparium). New Zealand.

Pileo 15-25 mm lato, ex umbonato plano-convexo, obscure brunneo reflexo lilacino instructo, squamuloso vel squarroso, striato, sicco. Lamellis late adnatis vel emarginatis, primo griseis dein brunneo-roseis, acie concolori instructis. Stipite 15-30 x 2 mm, cylindraceo, pileo concolori, fibrilloso, cavo, sicco. Odore acidulo, sapore nullo. Sporis 11-12 x 7-9.5 µm, 6-angulatis. Basidiis 4-sporigeris. Cheilocystidiis (et pleurocystidiis) 90-140 x 12-16 µm, fusoideis, tenuitunicatis, apicaliter rotundatis. Caulocystidiis nullis. Epicute ex hyphis cylindraceis cutem vel trichodermium formantibus, pigmento brunneo plasmatico instructis. Septis fibuligeris. Ad terram in silvis. Novazelandia

Macroscopically E. brunneolilacinum resembles E. acuticystidiosum Hk. or E. squamiferum Hk. but the spores are distinctly different from those of these taxa. Because of its lilac tint this species could be confused with E. porphyrescens Hk., but the spores, cystidia and the size of the carpophores clearly distinguish the two fungi.

Holotypus (PDD 27026): 'Doon River, Lake Te Anau, Fiordland N.P., N.Z.; leg. Horak, 3.IV.1969'.