It was described as new to science by mycologist Rolf Singer in 1989, from specimens collected in Muir Woods, California.

[1] Fruit bodies of Pluteus exilis have caps that measure 3.5–7 cm (1.4–2.8 in) in diameter.

They are initially hemispherical or bell-shaped, later becoming more convex in maturity, sometime with a shallow central depression.

austriacus, from collections made in oak forests in Burgenland, Austria; it has grayish-brown caps.

The fungus is found along the coast of the Pacific Northwest region of North America, from Santa Cruz County to southern British Columbia.