The North American species of Psathyrella.

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MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Basidia 4-spored, 26-35 x 10-13 pL, clavate, hyaline in KOH, many finally
subcapitate. Pleurocystidia 60-90 x 11-15 t, subacute to obtuse with narrow
elongated wavy necks, wall smooth, thin, hyaline in KOH, content not distinctive
in either KOH or Melzer's. Cheilocystidia similar to pleurocystidia or shorter
and some clavate to saccate (the latter 18-26 x 9-14 /i), some developing one or
two slight protuberances. Caulocystidia not found except for projecting narrow
(2-4 1) filaments.
Gill trama hyaline or nearly so, either when fresh or revived in KOH. Pileus
trama more or less cinnamon in HO2 when fresh, as revived in KOH dark reddish
brown fading to pale tawny or clay color, the hyphae incrusted at least weakly in
the area of the septa. Cuticle of pileus an irregular palisade of inflated and
clavate cells with smooth, hyaline to weakly cinnamon, thin walls, content of
cells not distinctive. Clamp connections present. No distinctive reactions present
on tissue mounted in Melzer's.
Type locality. Botanical Gardens, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Michigan.
Habit and habitat. Around rubbish heaps.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality.
Observations. This is probably an introduced species. It grew around the discarded remains of tropical plants. The distinguishing features are the vinaceousbrown color when young, large pleurocystidia, medium large spores, whitish
submembranous veil, and dark reddish brown tramal hyphae as revived in KOH.
Psathyrella vinaceofulva Orton appears to be a closely related species.
64. Psathyrella piceicola A. H. Smith & Hesler, Jour. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 62:
185. 1946.
Illust. 1. c. fig. 2, B, C, E. Text Figs. 163-166.
Pileus 2-3.5 cm broad, conic, becoming broadly umbonate and campanulate
to more or less expanded, surface with the marginal two-thirds radiately rugose
and nearer the margin with concentric flattened scales from the remains of the
veil, glabrescent, dry (probably collected when faded), near cinnamon-buff to
honey-color with the disc "buckthorn brown" (when dried the disc sordid tawny
to reddish brown, the margin paler yellowish brown), the surface appearing somewhat as if varnished (when dried) but no gelatinous pellicle present, margin
appendiculate with the submembranous patches of the veil tissue for a time.
Context thick in the disc, abruptly thin outward, white, firm, odor strongly
fungoid, taste mild, pleasant at first but finally bitterish.
Stipe 5-12 cm long, 4-6 mm thick, apex mealy, glabrous and shining to the
midportion, lower half conspicuously lacerate scaly, equal or tapering upward,
stuffed becoming hollow, rooting; veil heavy and fibrous.
Spores dark purple-brown in mass, 12-15 (-18) x5.5-6.6x6.6-8 u, smooth,
apex lacking a distinct pore, shape in face view oval-apiculate to broadly ovateapiculate, in profile obscurely oval-apiculate or with a broad shallow suprahilar
depression or applanation (somewhat inequilateral), color in KOH at first bisterbrown slowly clouded with chocolate-gray, in Melzer's dull red, wall about 0.6 p
as revived in KOH.
Basidia 30-34 x 10-12 g, 4-spored, clavate, hyaline to yellowish in KOH.
Pleurocystidia abundant, 40-90 x 12-20 g, ventricose and with a greatly elongated
neck and broadly rounded apex, thin-walled, smooth, hyaline yellowish in KOH
from a somewhat colloidal content, a few with one or more knob-like projections
or contorted prolongations present. Cheilocystidia 50-80 x 7-12 /, narrowly ventricose to subcylindric or with flexuous walls at least in age, thin-walled, apex
obtuse, smoky yellowish brown in KOH. Caulocystidia in patches, more or less