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

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The North American Species of Pholiota

165. Pholiota totteni (Murr.) comb. nov.
Hebeloma totteni Murrill, North Amer. Flora 10: 220. 1917.
Illustrations: Text figs. 362-363.
Pileus gregarious or caespitose, 2.5-4 cm broad, convex to plane,
usually becoming depressed, often slightly umbonate, reddish tawny at
the center, shading to whitish buff on the margin, or uniformly colored
reddish brown, glabrous, shining. Context thin, pale buff; odor and
taste not distinctive.
Lamellae sinuate or emarginate, melleous to ochraceous when young,
then fulvous or brown, broad, not crowded.
Stipe 1.5-4 cm long, 2-3 mm thick, up to 7 mm when compressed,
whitish buff above, apex yellowish mealy, reddish tawny below; sometimes decorated near the base with long, coarse, white hairs; dry. Veil
arachnoid, leaving a few remnants on the stipe, evanescent.
Spores (6)7-9 x 4-5 (10.5 x 6.5) JL, smooth, apical pore minute
and apex not truncate; shape in face view elliptic to subovate, in profile
subelliptic to obscurely inequilateral, dark tawny in KOH and merely
paler and more cinnamon in Melzer's reagent, wall about 0.25 y/ thick.
Basidia 18-23 x 5.5-7.5 u/, 4-spored, obscurely utriform to subclavate,
yellow in KOH and Melzer's reagent. Pleurocystidia 45-65 (75) x 8-16,,
fusoid-ventricose, apex obtuse to subcapitate neck outline usually wavy,
wall thin and smooth; content amber brown to yellow, fading to nearly
hyaline in KOH; neck often filled by a colloidal plug. Cheilocystidia
46-55 x 6-12 A, subcylindric to narrowly fusoid-ventricose, otherwise
similar to the pleurocystidia. Caulocystidia (not found on the dried
material available for study).
Gill trama poorly revived but clearly a floccose central strand flanked
on either side by a gelatinous subhymenium. Pileus cutis with a surface
layer of somewhat gelatinous hyphae and a fulvous hypodermial region.
Clamp connections present. All hyphae inamyloid.
HABIT, HABITAT, AND DISTRIBUTION: On soil, under pine, North
Carolina, July and December.
OBSERVATIONS: We have studied the type as well as cotype from the
Hebarium of the University of North Carolina. Both have the stature of
a member of the naucorioid group around P. scamba, but are readily
distinguished by the larger pleurocystidia. The arachnoid veil is typical
of both. The relationships of this species actually are with the P. spumosa
group. In fact the type collection consists of basidiocarps which in the
dried state resemble those of P. spumosa except for being smaller and
having a more poorly developed gelatinous pileus pellicle. It may be
the same as P. con densa.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: NORTH CAROLINA: Totten 1509 (type),
Hesler 10216.