Originally described by Alexander H. Smith in 1957, this North American species is typically found growing under conifers on mountains.

They speculated that the dark pigmentation may be an adaptation to protect against the higher levels of ultraviolet radiation present in their montane environments.

[2] Fruiting bodies produced by this fungus have caps that are 2 to 6.5 cm (3⁄4 to 2+1⁄2 in) in diameter; the shape is convex to flattened.

[4] Clitocybe albirhiza is a brown-colored mushroom with similar stature, but it may be distinguished by the white rhizomorphs at the base of its stem, as well as fibrils on the cap that are arranged in zones.

[2] The species has been found in various locales in North America, including Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Alberta.