The boletes of Michigan, by Alexander H. Smith and Harry D. Thiers.

232

THE BOLETES OF MICHIGAN

The type collections of the type variety and var. maculosus were
studied. Smith felt that the material was no longer reliable for chemical
features, but some details were verified.
B. affinis (type): Spores 10-13 X 3-3.5 j, smooth, lacking an
apical pore; shape in face view narrowly subfusiform, in profile obscurely to somewhat inequilateral, color in KOH yellowish to nearly
hyaline, in Melzer's weakly dextrinoid to ochraceous, wall thin (-0.2 A).
Basidia 4-spored, 6-8 g in diameter, clavate, hyaline in KOH,
readily gelatinizing. Pleurocystidia 33-50 X 8-13 g, clavate to fusoidventricose, content ochraceous in KOH, darker (dark red) in Melzer's.
Cheilocystidia smaller than pleurocystidia, content ochraceous in KOH.
Cuticle of pileus apparently cellular but not reviving well, no distinctive
Melzer's reactions evident but dark debris present-possibly of foreign
origin. No distinctive reactions in Melzer's were evident in the context
or subcutis. Clamp connections not found.
B. affinis var. maculosus. The spores measure 10-13 X 3.5-4.5 g
and are slightly more ventricose in profile than in the type variety, but
in face view they are suboblong. The pileus cuticle is a trichodermium
of enlarged cells 10-25 g in diameter in chains with the terminal cell
cystidioid to clavate or vesiculose. In Melzer's the material is ochraceous
but no distinctive content present either in this layer or in the hyphae
beneath. No clamp connections were found.
From all that could be determined from the types of both taxa
they are the same as the Michigan collections. However, we have a
variant in Michigan (Smith 75796) in which the stipe is white and
smooth or rarely faintly reticulate at the apex. Also the stipe dries
ochraceous, but it is not vinaceous-brown as in the type variant. The
laticiferous elements as revived in KOH have a greenish yellow amorphous content and this is evident in the pleurocystidia also. In Melzer's
the cuticular elements are flooded with copious amounts of dull tawny
incrusting debris (with much of it free from the hyphae themselves).
The pilei were not spotted when fresh but dried distinctly rimulose with
the pale context showing. This species complex deserves further study in
the state. Our material examined is merely identified to species without
any attempt to list each variant separately.
Material examined.-Cheboygan: Charlton G-223, G-274; Smith
36851, 36984, 37327, 42815, 58255; Thiers 1103, 3611, 3758,
4020. Chippewa: Shaffer 2204; Smith 72357, 72379, 72438. Crawford:
Thiers 3395. Emmet: Kauffman 1905; Smith 25855; Thiers 3583, 3713,
4238, 4428. Gratiot: Potter 8337, 10949, 11735, 11765, 11775, 11777,
12869, 13151. Mackinac: Smith 37362. Marquette: Bartelli 2527,