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

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The North American Species of Pholiota

neus, glaber, striatulatus. Lamellae adnatae, breve decurrentes, latae, subdistantes, brunneolae. Stipes 3-5 cm longus, 1.5-3 mm crassus, pallidus,
submelleus, deorsum floccosus. Annulus evanescens. Sporae 8-10 x 4.5 -5.5 I. Pleurocystidia nulla. Cheilocystidia 35-61 x 6-15 I, subcapitatafilamentosa. Caulocystidia 20-65 x 6-16 tL. Specimen typicum in Herb.
Univ. of Mich. conservatum est, legit prope Ophir, Colo. 17 Aug. 1956.
Smith 52341.
Pileus 1-3.5 cm broad, convex, becoming expanded plane or margin
slightly arched, viscid and hygrophanous, pale butterscotch color when
young, darker butterscotch in age before fading to near pale pinkish buff,
glabrous except for veil fragments over marginal area when young,
striatulate when moist. Context moderately thick, but very soft and
watery; odor none, taste mild.
Lamellae broadly adnate to short-decurrent, moderately broad to
broad, subdistant, pallid-brownish becoming clay-color, edges minutely
white-crenulate.
Stipe 3-5 cm long, 1.5-3 mm thick, pallid, tinged dilute honey color
over all, with soft fibrillose patches up to the broken, evanscent annulus,
base spongy but not darkening, equal or base slightly enlarged.
Spores 8-10 x 4.5-5.5 /I, smooth, apical pore extremely minute
(under 1.4 N.A. lens); shape in face view broadly elliptic to subovate,
in profile obscurely inequilateral to slightly bean-shaped; in KOH pale
ochraceous tawny, in Melzer's reagent nearly the same color; wall about
0.3 bu (or slightly more) thick.
Basidia 24-28 x 5-6 IX, 2- and 4-spored, clavate, hyaline in Melzer's
reagent. Pleurocystidia none. Cheilocystidia 35-61 x 6-15 JL filamentosecapitate to clavate or many with one or more enlargements beneath the
apical enlargement, some spathulate at apex, walls thin smooth and
hyaline, content homogeneous, but with small (1-3 It diam.) thickenings
of refractive material adhering to interior walls variously in some of the
cells. Caulocystidia 20-65 X 6-15 u versiform, (similar to cheilocystidia).
Gill trama of subparallel hyphae 6-17 pu broad, walls of cells thin
hyaline and smooth; subhymenium indistinct, (cut ends of narrow hyaline
non-gelatinous hyphae). Pileus cutis a thin gelatinous pellicle of narrow
(3 - ~) hyphae with smooth thin walls, loosely interwoven, hyaline in
KOH; hypodermial region not differentiated. Context hyphae interwoven, hyaline, walls thin and smooth. Clamp connections present. All
hyphae inamyloid.
HABIT, HABITAT, AND DISTRIBUTION: On soil and debris, under aspen,
Colorado, August.
OBSERVATIONS: This agaric is distinguished by its colors, rather broad,
subdistant, and white-crenulate lamellae. The cheilocystidia are large
and conspicuous. The caulocystidia are in tufts and resemble the cheilocystidia. It might suggest P. pusilla, which has narrow gills which are at
first white and has a white stipe with a ferruginous base, as well as
smaller spores and cheilocystidia. It is closest to P. mutans from which