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

56

The North American Species of Pholiota

two major lines of development. The first leads to the type of cutis found
in P. erinacea where there is no disarticulation of the cutis cells and there
is a tendency for the hyphae to develop thick colored walls. The second
line is to the Cystoderma-type. Singer (1963) placed Togaria with aurea
as the only species near Lepiota. We believe the resemblance to be superficial. The spores in KOH are pale tawny and thin-walled more like a
Tubaria spore than any other type. But Tubaria also demonstrates the
development of the Cystoderma-type pileus cutis. The large size of the
basidiocarps should not influence any one to use this feature to establish
relationships here. It has been amply shown throughout this paper that
size is of no value in delimiting infrageneric or generic groups among
pholiotoid fungi. In P. aurea the ornamentation of the spores is very
minute, and in a way contradicts our definition of "spores smooth" for
the genus. But here one has a choice of which spores he wishes to emphasize, the smooth ones or those with ornamentation, and this of course
tends to vitiate the character as one of importance as far as relationships
are concerned. The situation here is more like that in Rhizopogon, another genus of smooth-spored fungi, where, if one wishes, it can be claimed
that some of the species have slightly ornamented spores. It should also
be kept in mind that as far as P. aurea is concerned, Tubaria, to which it
might be truly related, is a genus containing species with both smooth
and ornamented spores. Thus in our opinion, a monotypic genus here
serves no useful purpose either from a practical or theoretical consideration, and we have placed the species in line with previous tradition.
In Europe P. aurea is considered a good edible species but in Alaska
Wells and Kempton (1965) have reported cases of "mild" poisoning
from it. Bach (1956) made an excellent study of the physiology and
ecology of this species. From Bach's study it is apparent that the fungus
is not restricted to a single forest tree, and we would judge that its occurrence under alder in the Pacific Northwest is indicative of a habitat filled
with nutrients rather than one indicating a symbiotic relationship with
the alder.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: WASHINGTON: Imshaug 1801; Smith 3050,
3117, 3355 30448, 30859, 31491, 39843. CANADA (BRITISH COLUMBIA) Odell 1922. Reported from Alaska by Wells and Kempton
(1965) and their specimens examined.
12. Pholiota erinaceella (Pk.) Peck, N.Y. State Mus. Bull. 122: 152.
1908.
Agaricus detersibilis Peck, N. Y. State Mus. Ann. Rept. 28:49. 1876.
Agaricus erinaceellus Peck, N. Y. State Mus. Ann. Rept. 30: 70. 1878.
Phaeomarasmius erinaceellus (Peck) Singer, Lilloa 22: 577. 1951.
Illustrations: Text figs. 11-12; pl. 4a, 7b.

Pileus 1-3 (4) cm broad, obtusely conic to convex expanding to