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

362

The North American Species of Pholiota

(lead willow trunks and found the stipe apparently viscid (Murrill described it as dry). Kauffman stated that the large pilei and solid stipe
would separate it from the "spumosa" group. He apparently had some
other species. P. crassipedes is close to P. lubrica but the latter has white
mycelium around the base and grows under conifers. However, both
should be critically compared from fresh material.
Because of the bright color, even of dried specimens, one is reminded
of the P. alnicola group but the large hymenial cystidia and the failure
of the spores to become dark reddish cinnamon in Melzer's reagent rule
it out. P. crassipedes has the stature of P. 17brica and the cystidia are
consistently tlin-walled. We are not inclined to emphasize the "chrysocystidioid cells" in the hymenium as a taxonomic character in the present
stage of our knowledge of this species, but they are not without interest
from the standpoint of the evolution of chrysocystidia from basidioles.
It differs from P. smbluibrica in growing on hardwood logs and in having
yellow to orange mycelium at the stipe base. Also P. sulbllbrica typically
has veil remnants on the pileus. The color of the spores in KOH, however, is the same in both.
Stirps Innocua
Terrestrial or appearing terrestrial and the spore widtlt 2.8-3.5 (4) /.
are the two features in combination whicli delimit this group. See P.
pcrniciosa also; it has long pleurocystidia but actually they are chrysocystidia.
Key
1. Lamellae pallid but soon becoming pale greenish yellow............................P..virescen tifolia
1. Not as above 2
2. Some spores with a dark violet-brown coagulated content as revived in Melzer's; pleurocystidia 38-52 x 8-15 P.......................P. brllnnn eodisca
2. Not as above 3.......
3. Stiple 3-5 mm thick; pileus broadly conic... (see P. flavopallida and P. agglutinata)
3. Stipe (4) 5-10 mm thick 4
4. Pileus margin slightly greenish when bruised; pileus context
white P. alapensis
4. Not as above 5.
5. Pleurocystidia 30-46 x 10-15,u, utriform caulocystidia not distinctive
P. innocua
5. Pleurocystidia 50-70 x 11-15 /; fusoid-ventricose; caulocystidia conspicuous and versiform (fig. 459).. P. lurida