The North American species of Pholiota, by Alexander H. Smith and L. R. Hesler.

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The North American Species of Pholiota

Lamellae adnate to submarginate, "light buff" at maturity (yellowish), medium brown, rounded behind, crowded, edges serrulate.
Stipe 4-6 cm long, 5-10 mm thick, near apex yellowish fibrillose,
below white and floccose-scaly, tapering downward, tubular.
Spore deposit "Isabella color" (olive-yellow). Spores 5.5-7 x 3.5-4 pt,
smooth, apical pore minute but distinct, apex obscurely truncate in
some; shape ovate to narrowly elliptic in face view, in profile somewhat
inequilateral; pale cinnamon brown in KOH, in Melzer's reagent paler
and buff colored; wall about 0.25 a, thick.
Basidia 18-24 X 5-6 pt, 4-spored, short-clavate, hyaline in KOH,
yellowish in Melzer's reagent. Pleurocystidia none. Cheilocystidia 14-26
X 4-7 pu mostly fusoid-ventricose to ventricose-rostrate with rounded
apex, varying to subcylindric and slightly capitate, smooth, thin-walled,
content homogeneous. Caulocystidia 18-40(60) x 3-7 pu, cylindric to
subcapitate or somewhat utriform, some filamentose with various enlargements and constrictions varying to narrowly clavate.
Gill trama a central area of floccose hyphae parallel to subparallel,
the cells 5-12 au or more wide (becoming inflated), walls thin, smooth,
somewhat ochraceous to hyaline in KOH; subhymenium of narrow
hyaline gelatinous hyphae ~ interwoven to subparallel. Pileus cutis of
loosely tangled subgelatinous hyphae 2-3.5 Jt diam. with smooth walls
and ochraceous content; hypodermial zone more rusty brown fading to
ochraceous, walls smooth and not gelatinous. Clamp connections present.
All hyphae inamyloid.
HABIT, HABITAT, AND DISTRIBUTION: Caespitose on soil, in mixed conifer-hardwood woods, Tennessee, November, Hesler 17778, type.
OBSERVATIONS: The pileus colors are unique. The disc is deep olivebuff, elsewhere it is paler (olive-buff). When dried the pileus assumes a
dingy olive-ocher color. The color of the spore deposit, the small spores
and small cheilocystidia and lack of pleurocystidia are a distinctive set of
characters.
Section Variabilisporae sect nov.
Sporae ad apicum multiporae. Typus P. variabilispora.
In the only species there is more than one germ pore near the spore
apex in most spores.
60. Pholiota variabilispora sp. nov.
Illustrations: Text figs. 172-174.
Pileus 2-3 cm latus, convexus demum subplanus, glaber, viscidus,
luteus demum argillaceus, ad marginem appendiculatus. Lamellae adnatae demum emarginatae, latae, confertae, pallidae demum sordide argillaceae. Stipes 3-4 cm longus, 3-4 mm crassus, subradicatus, pallide luteus,