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

242

The North American Species of Pholiota

Caulocystidia 48-76 X 10-20 pa, cylindric to clavate or capitate, rarely
mucronate, thin-walled and smooth, wall hyaline to ochraceous. Stipe
hyphae yellowish-hyaline in KOH.
Gill trama of parallel to slightly interwoven floccose hyphae with
short or long inflated cells 8-20 pL diam., and thin smooth ochraceous to
lemon-yellow or hyaline walls; subhymenium of gelatinous hyaline
narrow (3 pt) hyphae. Pileus cutis a thick gelatinous layer of interwoven
narrow hyphae 2-3 pj diam., hyaline to yellowish in KOH, and walls
smooth or nearly so; hypodermium of floccose smooth-walled hyphae,
rusty orange to ochraceous in KOH, and 4-12 pi diam. Context of interwoven hyphae with inflated cells, thin-walled, smooth, walls pale lemonyellow to hyaline in KOH. Clamp connections present. All hyphae
inamyloid.
HABIT, HABITAT, AND DISTRIBUTION: On conifer wood, Idaho, Smith
54485, type and Smith nos. 70998 and 71217.
OBSERVATIONS: The narrow crowded whitish gills, very small spores,
and almost utriform cystidia are distinctive. The caulocystidia are versiform. This species at once reminds one of P. subochlracea, but the cystidia
distinguish them at once. Caulocystidia are present in both collections
but less abundant on Smith 70998. The pileus gills and stipe are pale
yellow as dried. When the stipe darkens in the fresh material this usually
sliows on the dried specimens.
Stirps Condensa
Like the previous stirps, this one is questionably placed in this section because of the variation in the wall thickness of the pleurocystidia.
If the thickening in the walls of some cystidia is disregarded, then the
species would fall in stirps Spumosa.
Key
1. Basidiocarps obviously lingnicolous 2.. 2
1. Basidiocarps appearing terrestrial..........
2. Pileus glabrous; on oak wood; spores 5-6 /u broad P. subminor
2. Pileus decorated with veil remnants; on wood of conifers; spores
4-5 wide....................... P. bakerensis
3. Spores 5-6 pu wide.......P. iterata
3. Spores 3.5-5................. 4
4. Pileus with a thick gelatinous pellicle; growing under Sequoia in
northern California..............P. sequoiae
4. Not as above.................... 4
5. Pleurocystidia 33-50 x 9-15........ P. alabamensis
5. Pleurocystidia 48-72 x 7-14......... P. condensa