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

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The North American Species of Pholiota

Melzer's sol. slightly more cinnamon (but not dextrinoid); wall less than
0.25 Fi thick.
Basidia 4-spored, 18-24 x 6-7.5 /a subclavate, hyaline in KOH and
merely yellowish in Melzer's reagent. Pleurocystidia 36-58 (65) X 6-12
(14) /i, versiform: 1) fusoid-ventricose with no pedicel and tapered to a
point at apex; 2) narrowly fusoid-ventricose with a pedicel and the apex
obtuse; 3) more or less clavate to clavate-mucronate; all thin-walled,
smooth, and with the highly refractive content of chrysocystidia (an
amorphous refractive body hyaline in KOH and orange red in Melzer's
reagent). Cheilocystidia similar to pleurocystidia (as chrysocystidia) but
mostly elongate, flexuous and subcapitate ( much as in subgenus Flavidula) and usually slightly ventricose at base, 30-60 x 5-8 pu, walls
smooth, thin or very slightly (-0.25 p) thick, ochraceous in KOH. Caulocystidia more or less similar to both types of cheilocystidia, (some with
refractive content), many ventricose and with 2-3 subapical prolongations.
Gill trama of a central strand of non-gelatinous hyaline to yellowish
(in KOH) parallel hyphae with inflating cells, the walls thin and smooth;
subhymenium a gelatinous band of narrow hyphae. Pileus cuticle a thick
gelatinous pellicle the hypha 1.5-3 u diam., and hyaline to yellowish;
hypodermium bright ochraceous in KOH, hyphal walls smooth or nearly
so in wider (6-12 p.) hyphae and incrusted on narrower (3-5 Fu) ones.
Context hyphae compactly interwoven, yellowish in KOH, smooth and
thin-walled, ochraceous oleiferous hyphae also present. Clamp connections present.
Gregarious on debris in mixed conifer-hardwood swamp, Burt Lake,
Mich. Aug. 23, 1953, M. Barr (Bigelow) collector. Smith 42322, type.
OBSERVATIONS: This species was mistaken in the field for P. pulchella.
It is interesting because it combines truncate spores, gelatinous subhymenium, yellow-brown spore color, and projecting fusoid-ventricose
pleurocystidia with the content of chrysocystidia along with cheilocystidia
(some) of the P. erinacella type (fig. 486). In a sense the species makes
a mockery not only of the use of cystidia to indicate different phylogeny
in Pholiota but also of our definitions of cystidia. To us it simply emphasizes the point we have tried to emphasize in this work: Namely that
each character in the Pholiota population is capable of being exchanged
independently of other single characters, and that if you collect assiduously enough you will find species showing almost, or all, possible combinations. To us this is the best argument against recognizing genera in
this group based on some of the combinations most frequently collected.
80. Pholiota ornatula (Murr.) comb. nov.
Gymnopilus ornatulus Murrill, Mycologia 4: 251. 1912.
Flammula ornatula Murrill, Mycologia 4: 262. 1912.
Illustrations: Text figs. 107-109.