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

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The North American Species of Pholiota

Pileus (1) 3-6 cm broad, convex, expanding, at times more or less
umbonate, disc rusty orange to dark reddish brown, blackish when dried
at times, marginal portion buff to yellowish gray, glabrous, viscid, margin
incurved, even. Context thin, yellow.
Lamellae adnate or subdecurrent, yellowish when young, "buckthorn
brown" at maturity, narrow to medium broad to broad, close.
Stipe 3-6 (8) cm long, (2) 3-6 (8) mm thick, yellowish and pruinose
above, dingy downward, basal portion rusty brownish, equal, slightly
fibrillose, glabrescent, stuffed then hollow. Veil yellowish, arachnoid.
Spores 5-7 x 3.5-4,U, smooth, apical pore distinct and apex obscurely truncate in some, in shape elliptic to ovate, in profile obscurely
inequilateral, dull tawny in KOH, paler in Ielzer's reagent, wall thin
(-0.25 IL).
Basidia 4-spored, 20-27 x 5-6 it clavate, yellowish to hyaline in
KOH, yellowish in Melzer's reagent. Pleurocystidia 50-73 x 11-17 p
fusoid-ventricose, apex obtuse; wall smooth and 1.5-2.5,t thick, hyalinerefractive in KOH, content hyaline to yellow and homogeneous. Cheilocystidia 30-56 x 6-14 px similar to pleurocystidia. Caulocystidia versiform,
40-80 x 12-25 fu, clavate, fusoid-ventricose, or fusoid, thin-walled, smooth.
content "empty."
Gill trama a central area of floccose hyphae 4-12 p. broad; walls tlin,
yellowish to hyaline in KOH, smooth; subhymenium a gelatinous layer
of narrow hyaline hyphae. Pileus cutis a thick gelatinous pellicle of
narrow (2-3 pu) hyaline to yellowish hyphae, those near hypodermium
incrusted; hypodermium a layer of floccose hlyphae 4-8 (12) p. with heavy
incrustations, fulvous in KOH. Context hyphae yellowish hyaline in
KOH, cells inflated, walls thin, smooth. Clamp connections present. All
hyphae inamyloid.
HABIT, HABITAT, AND DISTRIBUTION: On conifer wood and debris,
Idaho, Oregon and Washington, August-October.
OBSERVATIONS: P. rufodisca is close to P. brunneodisca which Peck
(1913) stated was slightly viscid. In our study of the type, however, we
found no gelatinous pellicle. P. ferruginea lacks caulocvstidia as far as
our observations indicate. There is a difference in the degree to wlich
the veil is developed also.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: IDAHO: Smith 47146 (type), 47033, 70858,
71113. NEW MEXICO: Barrows 925, 141. OREGON: Smith 24733.
WASHINGTON: Smith 47594, 47650, 48240.
Stirps Occidentalis
Species with cinnamon, tan, russet to clay-colored pilei are placed
here. Some in other stirpes fade out to the above colors hence fresh young
or barely mature pilei are needed for correct disposition of a collection.