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

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The North American Species of Pholiota

lem is one of a pileus cutis which is of such a chemical composition that
the hyphal walls slowly become subgelatinous in a highly humid atmosphere or from continuous rain, and that along the west coast these
conditions are realized so regularly that we have a viscid variant of
P. flammans in that area. During dry seasons, of course, the character
will not show in the field, but is often very evident under a microscope
where cuticular gelatinization in KOH is very distinct. In this respect
this fungus is different from most species in the genus. When one encounters a gelatinizing cutis in this genus the hyphae are usually distinctly narrower than those of the context. This is not so clear as the
two areas intergrade. The gelatinous subhymenium of P. kauffmaniana
might seem to distinguish the latter from P. flammans but here again
we are dealing with a character not often evident until maturity in
Pholiota, and one found fairly inconstant in Galerina (Smith &8 Singer,
1964). Hence, we hesitate to place much emphasis on it here in particular
since this feature is evident on the specimens from Josserand. The microscopic data on his specimen are identical with those of Smith 236 from
New York which was used for our description. The chrysocystidia color
typically in Melzer's, the gelatinous pellicle is thick and of hyphae narrower than those of the adjacent pileus context, the subhymenium is at
least subgelatinous and the needle-like crystals form in KOH. The spores
deposited on the cap average slightly larger (0.5 - ~-) than in Smith 236
and the clavate pleurocystidia are slightly more orange in KOH. We do
not regard the last two features mentioned as important taxonomically.
The description of P. flamrnmuloides Moser does not clarify the situation.
The outstanding features of this species are the thick pellicle of
narrow gelatinous hyphae in sections revived in KOH, the chrysocystidia
with content orange-brown to red in Melzer's reagent, the abundant
more or less clavate pleurocystidia with homogeneous ochraceous content
in KOH, the needle-like crystals often aggregated to a dendroid pattern
which form in KOH mounts, and in the orange to yellow pigment diffusing in mounts of this medium. On anatomical grounds the species
must be placed in the viscid group of subg. Pholiota.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: COLORADO: Kauffman 9-9-20; IDAHO:
Smith 46285, 46833, 47020, 60222; MAINE: Bigelow 4546 (MICH);
MICHIGAN: Bartelli 2110 (MICH); Harding 380, 37063, 38071; NEW
YORK: Kauffman 9-15-14, 9-17-14; Smith 236; NORTH CAROLINA:
Hesler 23386 (TENN); OREGON: Smith 19189, 20042, 24202, 26970,
27771; TENNESSEE: Hesler 10868, 21001 (GSMNP); Kauffman 9-16-16,
9-21-16, 9-20-16; Smith 10868; WASHINGTON: Kauffman 9-13-15, 10 -23-15, 10-13-25, 10-31-25, 11-5-25; Smith 3167, 16161, 16186, 16268, (type,
P. Kauffmaniana), 16339, 16549, 16854, 17317, 17342, 31113.

106. Pholiota aurivelloides Overholts, Annals Missouri Bot. Garden
14: 151. 1927.