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

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The North American Species of Pholiota

Spore deposit cinnamon brown. Spores 6-7 x 3.5,F; pleurocystidia
50-65 X 9-16,u, thin-walled mostly (especially when fresh or revived in
Melzer's reagent), in KOH wall swelling to + 0.5 p, in a fair number.
The critical features of these basidiocarps are: 1) relatively large
size, 2) reddish tawny colors (which are within the "cinnamomeus"
range, copious slime over the pileus on which at first are perched
whitish (pallid) squamules of veil remnants, 3) whitish context, 4)
whitish lamellae; and white veil and stipe with the latter staining brown
to rusty brown from the base upward. The spores (6-7 x 3.5 /) are the
same as for the Lundell specimen and as given by Kiihner &c Romagnesi.
This comes about as close to the type concept as one can expect in this
group.
The problem in North America is greatly complicated by rather
similar populations to the above, but differing to such an extent that
one dealing mainly with morphological characters must give recognition
to them if his classification is to be "honest." We have the following
which are very close to P. lubrica: Pholiota coloradensis with subcylindric
to utriform pleurocystidia, P. sublubrica with brownish patches of veil
on pileus margin, and the stipe elongating as in Cortinarius subg.
Bulbopodium, P. armeniaca with exceptionally pale colored spores in
KOH and in Melzer's sol., but with colors about like Fries' illustration
in the Icones, and P. avellaneifolia with a heavy pale but distinctly
yellow veil and grayish brown gills when young. All of these are on
conifer debris. P. verna has cystidia with thickened walls and occurs on
debris of cottonwood.
186a. Pholiota lubrica var. luteifolia var. nov.
Pileus 3-9 cm latus, late convexus, glutinosus, ad centrum aurantiocinnamomeus, ad marginem subsulphureus; lamellae pallide sulphureae
vel luteae. Vellum copiosum, subsulphureum, sporae 6-7 x 3.5-4,.
Pleurocystidia obtusa vel late obtusa. Specimen typicum in Herb. Univ.
of Mich. conservatum est; legit prope Goose Lake, Brundage Mt., McCall,
Idaho, 18 Aug. 1962, Smith 66012.
Pileus 3-9 cm broad, broadly convex with an inrolled margin, becoming more broadly convex to plane, surface slimy viscid, often decorated with small patches of yellowish veil near the margin; color over
disc tawny to orange-cinnamon, paler and with a sulphur tone showing
in some degree. Context pallid, odor and taste not distinctive, yellow
with KOH and olive with FeSO4 (blue gray in Smith 73475).
Lamellae pale yellow to bright yellow when young, close, moderately
broad, dull cinnamon when mature, broadly adnate to slightly decurrent.
Stipe 4-7 cm long, 10-15 mm thick, equal, cortex lemon yellow in
apex, soon rusty brown in the base, surface coated with the remains of
the copious dry fibrillose yellow veil leaving an evanescent annular zone
when it breaks, silky fibrillose above and yellowish.