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

Smith ~ Hesler

113

on very decayed conifer wood, Carbon River, Mt. Rainier National Park,
Wash., Oct. 6, 1952. Smith 40612, type.
OBSERVATIONS: This is a Psilocybe-like species in pigmentation save
that the spores are pale ochraceous in water mounts of fresh material.
Deposited spores on the stipe were near cinnamon brown but this should
be checked from a deposit on white paper. The clavate to utriform
pleurocystidia and very small ventricose-rostrate cheilocystidia make a
peculiar combination of cystidial features. It is a curious feature that the
hyphae of the stipe cortex should be smooth when those of the gill and
pileus trama show incrustations.
Stirps Vernalis
Lubricous to viscid species with small spores and narrow gills key
out here if the stipe is not conspicuously squamulose below the veil-line.
This stirps approaches Psilocybe very closely even in the color of the
spore deposit, in fact a problem exists here as to just how certain species
should be placed generically.
Key
1. Stipe not discoloring from base up and its hyphae not becoming rusty
b ro w n in K O H........................................................................... P. p a llid a
1. N ot as above........................................2
2. Pleurocystidia present........................................ P. subpapillata
2. N ot as above........................................ 3
3. Pileus sharply conic; veil rudimentary.................................... P. conica
3. Pileus convex or with an obtuse umbo........................................ 4
4. Hyphal walls in gill trama and adjacent pileus trama thickening
to 1 -1.2................................................................................ P. a trip e s
4. Hyphal walls of gill trama not becoming appreciably thickened 5
5. Caulocystidia none; annulus thick, superior, striate above................................................................................... P. p o p u lic o la
5. Caulocystidia present; annulus soon evanescent.................. P. vernalis
50. Pholiota pallida sp. nov.
Illustrations: Text figs. 149-150; pl. 18a.
Pileus 10-15 mm latus, plano-convexus, deinde depressus, glabrosus,
viscidus, pallido-coriaceus; odore et gustu mitis. Lamellae adnexae, concolores, confertae, angustae, marginibus planae. Stipes 3-4 cm longus,
2-3 mm crassus, concolor, basis distorta. Velum tenue. Sporae 6-7.5 X
3.5-4.5 IX, ellipsoideae vel ovoideae, truncatae, leves. Pleurocystidia desunt; cheilocystidia 33-46 X 5-10 ix, clavato-capitata, obclavata, ampulla