North American species of Mycena.

274 NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF MYCENA

color, faint but sharp odor, echinulate cystidia, and habitat. The
colors may be quite gray at times, but the flesh tints in such specimens are nearly always evident after the caps have faded. Along the
Pacific coast I have made occasional collections of a very small form
(pilei 3-8 mm.), which apparently is constant. It differs from M.
tenella particularly in its habitat and stature. Forms with relatively
long stipes are likely to be found where the moss is deep, but, to judge
from my field experience to date, there is little likelihood of such forms
being confused with M. filopes or M. iodiolens. The pleurocystidia
and vinaceous colors as well as the larger size distinguish it from
M. psammicola.
Kuihner has called this fungus M. vitrea var. tenella. The species
he places in M. metata is the one here treated as M. leptocephala. It is
quite obvious that the true Friesian concept of M. metata will never
be known. More than likely Fries himself allowed more variation
for the species than would have been justified had he known the
microscopic characters of these agarics as we now know them. Hence
the only sensible procedure, if the name is to be retained, is to adopt
the concept of some later worker. Specimens from Romell in the
Atkinson Herbarium are as described above. The cystidia are
present on both the sides and the edges of gills. Ktihner has followed
the concept of Schroeter (1889). It will probably always be a matter
of opinion which microscopic interpretation of a Fresian species should
be followed, but in my estimation that of Romell, which is also that
of Lange, Kauffman, and Ricken, is the one best established by usage
and the closest to the Friesian concept.
131. MYCENA PICEICOLA A. H. Smith
Mycologia, 31: 273. 1939
Illustrations:
Plate 51; Text fig. 33, nos. 1-2.
Smith, Mycologia, 31, fig. 1 K, fig. 3.
Pileus 2-3.5 cm. broad, ovoid to obtusely conic at first, becoming
broadly convex or broadly ovoid in age, margin appressed against the
stipe in buttons and sometimes wavy in age, surface hoary-pruinose
at first, soon naked and polished, subhygrophanous, translucentstriate when moist, lubricous, even, color dark livid gray to "fuscous"
or "hair brown," the margin usually paler and sometimes whitish,
fading to "drab" on the disc or sordid ashy gray with a pallid margin;