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

Smith ~ Hesler

53

Basidia 20-25 x 6-7 Fu, 4-spored, yellow in KOH, nearly hyaline in
Melzer's reagent. Pleurocystidia none. Cheilocystidia 36-52 x 7-11 pL,
narrowly clavate to filamentous with a capitate apex, content clear yellow
in KOH, wall thin, smooth and hyaline. Caulocystidia not studied (material insufficient).
Gill trama of subparallel hyphae with cells becoming inflated to
12 /u or more in places, walls ferruginous-brown in KOH, smooth to
asperulate, subhymenium of narrower hyphae than the central area but
otherwise the same. Hyphae of context with yellow walls in KOH and
nearly hyaline in Melzer's reagent, cells 6-14 F, diam. or more inflated,
walls thin and smooth to (rarely) minutely asperulate. Cuticle not reviving well but no pigment-encrusted hyphae found, dark red-brown in
KOH (the typical color change for the group, only very accentuated).
Clamp connections present. All hyphae inamyloid.
HABIT, HABITAT, AND DISTINCTION: On dead wood near the New York
Botanical Gardens, Sept. 13, 1910. Known only from the type locality.
OBSERVATIONS: The type material was so scanty that no sections were
attempted to determine if caulocystidia were present. We recognize this
species provisionally since the possibility of its being P. muricata is not
excluded. The data that are obtainable from the type are admittedly inadequate. However, it is significant that no sphaerocysts were seen in the
sections made of the pileus cuticle, and no heavy pigment incrustations
were observed on the cuticular hyphae.
Stirps Aurea
In this stirps, with the exception of P. fulvella, it is known that the
epicutis of the pileus contains many cells more or less isodiametric to
keg-shaped. In this respect and in the KOH reactions there is a strong
parallel to Cystoderma of the Tricholomataceae. P. fulvella is placed
here because of the large spores and lack of cheilocystidia.
Key
1. Spores 9-13 (14) u long............................................................................ 2
1. S p o r e s sh o r te r.............................................................................................. 3
2. Stipe 3-4 mm. thick.............................................. P. fulvella
2. Stipe 3-5 cm thick........................................ P. aurea
3. Cheilocystidia clavate to subglobose, 20-30 x 9-18 tI... P. granulosa
3. Cheilocystidia (at least many of them) with a flexuous pedicel and
clavate at the tip, or fusoid-ventricose......................................... 4
4. Cheilocystidia (40) 50-115 x 3.5-6 X 9-16............ P. erinaceella
4. Cheilocystidia 28-40 X 7-11................................ P. pseudosiparia
4. Cheilocystidia 26-40 X 8-16 /u; Caulocystidia often boomerangshaped (see no. 12., P. subechinata)