Holotype (K): 'Wellington, N.Z.; leg. Stevenson (619), 2.VI.1949'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/559: 'Rahiri Lodge, Mt. Egmont, N.Z; leg. Horak, 17.VI.1968'.

Pileus 10-30 mm diam., hemispherical later becoming plano-convex, reddish brown when moist fading to fulvous, viscid, innately fibrillose or (in aged carpophores) appressed squamulose, striated near the margin. Lamellae adnate to subdecurrent, lilac to violaceous, distant, rather thick, gill edge concolorous, even. Stipe 20-50 x 2-6 mm, cylindric, equal, concolorous with pileus fading to ochraceous, dry, silky, flexuous, hollow. Context in pileus brownish-orange, yellowish in stipe. Taste and odor not distinctive. Chemical reactions on pileus: unknown. Spores 7-9.5 x 3.5-5 µm, ellipsoid, sometimes constricted and pyriform, smooth, inamyloid. Basidia 35-55 x 6-8µ, 4-spored. Cystidia absent. Cuticle a cutis of repent, cylindric, hyaline hyphae (3-6 µm diam.), pigment plasmatic and encrusting the ungelatinized membranes. Clamp connections present.

In soil amongst litter of Weinmannia, Beilschmiedia, Metrosideros, Cyathea, etc. New Zealand.

Stevenson 1962: Fig. 2/5; Pl. 6/2.

Fresh carpophores of this species resemble in stature and colours a degraded form of Laccaria laccata (Fr.) or L. amethystina (Bolt. ex Hooker). On drying the reddish brown colour fades especially on the pileus but the lilac tints remain on the lamellae and the upper portion of the stipe. According to the original description given by Stevenson there is a close relationship between this N.Z. species and 2 other species of Hygrocybe from the southern parts of South America: H. laccarioides Singer (1952) collected in Fireland and H. lateritiorosella Singer (1969) from Chile. Further studies are necessary to get more information about their interspecific relationships.