Summary:
Subgenus Sericeocybe. Section Anomali. Features include 1) a dry, blue to lilac cap with a covering of silky white fibrils that wears away, often leaving an orange center, 2) close to crowded, blue to lilac gills that develop gray tones before being obscured by spores, and 3) a dry, slender, silky-fibrillose, whitish stem with a swollen base, the top often more lilac. |This species was published based on DNA with the following short macroscopic description: "The strong grayish blue to violet colours of the young basidiomata and heavy white to buff, fluffy veil distinguish it from other species in section Anomali.", (Ammirati(17)). |Most of what has been identified as Cortinarius anomalus in the Pacific Northwest is said to be Cortinarius anomalovelatus, but note that Siegel(2) mention there are at least five undescribed species in the Cortinarius anomalus group from California - as a group they are told "by their relatively small size, silvery bluish to lilac or beige colors, and subglobose spores". |Siegel(2) say that the small size of C. anomalovelatus, "the slender stature, silvery blue cap, blue to lilac-gray gills, and silky-felty partial veil remnants forming bands on the stipe" help identify that species. |Harrower(1) assigned a BC collection sequence 103 to Cortinarius anomalus #2 which matches C. anomalovelatus, (D. Miller, pers. comm.). There are collections labeled Cortinarius anomalovelatus from BC at the University of British Columbia. |Cortinarius azureus is a similar species which has been synonymized with Cortinarius anomalus. Many collections previously identified as Cortinarius azureus are probably also Cortinarius anomalovelatus. |One BC collection of Cortinarius "azureus", F17144 at the University of British Columbia, from Jordan River British Columbia seems to match European Cortinarius anomalus in Harrower et al. (P. Kroeger, pers. comm.). |The description of C. anomalovelatus used here is derived from Siegel(2).

Gills:
broadly attached, "close to moderately crowded"; bright bluish to lilac when young, "developing gray tones and then becoming rusty orange as spores mature", (Siegel)

Stem:
3-10cm x 0.3-0.7cm, widening slightly downward to a swollen base; silvery whitish, often more lilac near top; "dry, with tufts or bands of whitish to pale buff, silky or felted fibrils", (Siegel)

Veil:
nearly membranous white cortina, leaving bands or patches on stem "as well as around cap margin"

Odor:
indistinct (Siegel)

Taste:
indistinct (Siegel)

Microscopic spores:
spores 8-8.5 x 5-7 microns, broadly elliptic to nearly round, moderately roughened, (Siegel)

Notes:
The Cortinarius anomalovelatus type us from WA. There are collections from BC at the University of British Columbia and Siegel(2) made their description of it from CA.

EDIBILITY

unknown (Siegel)