From the discussion of 40372, it does not sound like Western and Eastern Panus conchatus are very likely to be the same thing. Since 49372 caused so much discussion, I dusted off some really old pictures that I took of the only really purple Lentinus/Panus that I ever found. It was during morel season in Wisconsin in those days, but now the morels seem to usually be done two weeks earlier. It was very young and was a beautiful dark purple, but in the several hours it took to get home, the purple tones had faded completely from the caps, which were just brown.