Holotype (PDD 27027); Isotype (Herb. HK. ZT 69/167): 'Track to Mt. Luxmore, Lake Te Anau, Fjordland N.P., N.Z.; leg. Horak, 26.III.1969'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/61: 'Lake Rotoiti, Prov. Nelson, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 5.II.1968'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/123: 'Between Mitchells and Kumara, Lake Brunner, Prov. Westcoast, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 9.III.1968'.

Pileus 25-65 mm diam., young and old specimens umbonate, dark brown or soot-brown with distinct purplish tints, densely covered by concolorous squamules or scales, dry, neither striate nor hygrophanous, membranous. Lamellae (L 16-30, 1 3(-5)) adnate or emarginate and decurrent with short tooth, whitish-purple at first becoming brown-pink with lilac or purplish tints, gill edge whitish and fimbriate. Stipe 30-70 x 3-6 mm, cylindrical or attenuated upwards, concolorous with pileus, covered with purple, lilac or dark brown fibrils, whitish at the base, dry, fistulose, fragile, frequently twisted. Context lilac, especially in the cortex of the stipe. Odor and taste acidulous.
Spores 7.5-8.5 x 5-6 µm, 5-6-sided. Basidia 35-40 x 8-10 µm, 4-spored. Cheilocystidia 30-65 x 8-20 µm, polymorphic, varying between vesiculose, clavate, fusoid or uteriform, occasionally even lecythiform, membrane hyaline, thinwalled. Pleuro- and caulocystidia none. Cuticle a cutis of cylindrical, fasciculate, repent or suberect hyphae (7-15 µm diam.) with brown plasmatic pigment not gelatinized. Clamp connections absent.

On soil among mosses and litter in forests (under Nothofagus spp., Dacrydium cupressinum, Podocarpus spp., Metrosideros umbellata, Leptospermum spp.). New Zealand.

Pileo 25-65 mm lato, umbonato, obscure brunneo vel fuligineo reflexo porphyreo instructo, radialiter squamoso vel squarroso, haud striato, sicco. Lamellis ex adnato emarginatis, brunneo-roseis, primo purpureo vel lilacino tinctu, acie fimbriata albidaque instructis. Stipite 30-70 x 3-6 mm, cylindraceo vel attenuato apicem versus, pileo concolori vel pallidiori, dense fibrillis fuligineis, lilacinis vel purpureis obtecto, ad basim frequ. albido, sicco, fistuloso, fragili. Caro in stipite lilacina. Odore saporeque acidulo. 8poris 7.5-8.5 x 5-6 µm, 5(6)-angulatis. Basidiis 4-sporigeris. Cheilocystidiis 30-65 x 8-20 µm, polymorphis (lecythiformibus, clavatis vel uteriformibus), tenui-tunicatis, hyalinis. Pleuro- et caulocystidiis nullis. Epicute ex hyphis cylindraceis cutem vel trichodermium formantibus, pigmento brunneo plasmatico instructis. Septis defibulatis. Ad terram in silvis. Novazelandia.

This species is distinguished by its purplish or lilac tints, umbonate pileus and spores which are distinctly smaller as those of E. porphyrophaeum (Fr.) a closely related species known from Europe.
Sometimes aged and weathered specimen do not show the lilac colours on the pileus or the lamellae but this striking character may then often still be recognized in the cortex of the stipe.

Holotypus (PDD 27027): 'Mt. Luxmore, Fjordland N.P., N.Z.; leg. Horak, 26.III.1969'.