This mushroom was growing on wood waste in a Eucalypt forest in Pemberton. That contrasts to it’s reported preference for Pinus in North America.
It is a pretty mushroom, with dark edges outlining the gills.
The gills are free, though some other examples online show more separation from the stem than in this case. According to Michael Kuo, this is unusual for a Pluteus species. The cap is dark purple and the gills are white with a very slight pink tinge
The surface of the cap is covered with fibrous scales.
The overall texture of the mushroom can be described as ‘watery’. It is reported to be edible, but to be honest the texture doesn’t make it very appealing. Tasted raw, it was reminiscent of other Pluteus species but it left an aftertaste that was slightly hot, and I can see how it is reported as being like radish. I fried a couple up in a pan and they became very sloppy, as expected. The taste became more mushroom-like, not unpleasant, and the after taste seemed to have been removed, although I think some still lingered from tasting it raw.
The spores of one specimen as shown below. They are almost spherical, smooth, with an average size of 6.6 x 6 microns.
The spore print is supposed to be pink but I would describe this as rusty brown.
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