Holotype (PDD 27031); Isotype (Herb. HK. ZT 68/186): 'S of Ahaura, Ngahere, Prov. Westcoast, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 18.III.1968'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/422: 'Whanganui Inlet, Prov. Nelson, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 12.V.1968'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/520: 'Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 10.VI.1968'.

Pileus 10-40 mm diam., hemispherical at first becoming convex or pulvinate, often plane or depressed at the centre, sometimes even concave, soot-brown like Lactarius fuliginosus, fading around the centre, dry, neither hygrophanous nor striate. Lamellae broadly adnate or emarginate and decurrent with a short tooth, whitish-beige turning grey-beige-pink, gill edge concolorous and fimbriate, moderately crowded. Stipe 15-50 x 1.5-4 mm, cylindrical, straight, coloured like pileus, with white weft near the base, totally covered by fibrils, at the apex occasionally pruinose, dry, fistulose, single. Context white, brown in the cortex of pileus and stipe. Odor and taste not distinctive.
Spores 7-9 x 6.5-7.5 µm, 5-6-sided. Basidia 30-40 x 8-12 µm, 4-spored. Cheilocystidia 45-100 x 8-12 µm, lageniform or fusoid, hyaline, rarely coloured by brown plasmatic pigment. Pleuro- and caulocystidia none or like cheilocystidia, scattered. Cuticle a palisade of erect, fusoid or awl-shaped cells (40-140 x 6-20 µm), membrane hyaline, thin-walled, with brown plasmatic pigment. Clamp connections present or absent

On soil in forests (under Nothofagus spp., Podocarpus spp., Dacrydium cupressinum, Quintinia spp., etc.). New Zealand.

Pileo 10~40 mm lato, hemisphaerico dein pulvinato, centro plano vel subdepresso, fuligineo, squamoso vel velutino, rugoso, haud striato, sicco. Lamellis late adnatis vel emarginatis, primo isabellinis postea griseo-argillaceo-roseis, acie fimbriata albidaque instruct s. Stipite 15-50 x 1.5-4 mm, cylindrico, pileo concolori, ad basim albido, fibrilloso, sicco, fistuloso. Odore saporeque nullo. Sporis 7-9 x 6.5-7.5 µm, 5-6-angulatis. Basidiis 4-sporigeris. Cheilocystidiis 45-100 x 8-12 µm, lageniformibus, hyalinis. Pleurocystidiis et caulocystidiis nullis. Epicute ex hyphis erects vel suberectis palisadam formantibus, pigmento brunneo et plasmatico instructis. Septis fibulatis vel defibulatis. Ad terram in silvis. Novazelandia.

This species is characterised by its velvety, soot-brown pileus and the palisadic structure of the cuticle, which is similar to that found in several species of the genus Pluteus Fr. (sect. Hispidodermi). In colour and structure the surface of the pileus on fully developed fruitbodies as seen from above is strongly reminiscent of Lactarius fuliginosus Fr.

Holotypus (PDD 27031): 'Ahaura, Ngahere, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 18.III.1968'.