The pileipellis was a cystoderm (working on a non close up), which excludes Pluteus salicinus as it has horned pluerocystidia and a filamentous cuticle (cutis), beucase of these features, P. salicinus belongs in the section Pluteus. Phaecyanopus can be excluded because of the lack of brown pigmented cystidia/cells and more thin lageniform pleurocystidia than that of P. cyanopus.