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

Smith * Hesler

or rarely at first squamulose from superficial veil remnants; margin sometimes appendiculate; stipe very seldom conspicuously scaly but often
decorated with colored zones or patches of veil material; pleurocystidia
prominent and conspicuously projecting; subhymenium typically gelatinous.
Section Flammuloides
The diagnostic features of the section are: The viscid to glutinous
pileus, typically gelatinous subhymenium, very prominent pleurocystidia,
and the walls of the latter in many of the cystidia in a hymenophore
thick enough to measure (about 0.5 /. or more) as revived in KOH or in
Melzer's reagent. It remains to be seen how much of this thickening
shows on fresh material, but from our experience so far it appears that
the feature is a reliable one. In addition to the species formally placed
in tlis section P. baptistii, P. spinulifera, P. haerenosa, P. innocua, P.
stratosa and P. pseudopulchclla show a tendency toward wall thickenings
in the cystidia, and in P. innocua thick-walled cheilocystidia are numerous
enough to cause one to wonder if eventually some thick-walled pleurocystidia will be found.
Key to Stirpes of Section Flammuloides
1. Subhymenium cellular and not gelatinous. Stirps Olivaceophylla
1. Subhymenium gelatinized by maturity........ 2
2. Spores 7-9 (10) x 3.7-4.5 (6).................... Stirps Condensa
2. Spores smaller than above............................. 3
3. Pileus pallid to yellowish on disc at first, but many become olivaceous
over marginal area.......... Stirps Adirondakensis
3. Pileus with different coloration.............................4
4. Pileus dark vinaceous brown on disc at first or very dull red-brown
Stirps Decorata
4. Not colored as above 5..........................5
5. Pileus ferruginous, bay, hazel etc. (see P. sublubrica also)........................................................................................... S tir p s F e r r g in e a
5. Pileus with cinnamon to russet or olive brown colors...................
6. Pileus on disc at first russet, cinnamon, tan or clay color
Stirps Occidentalis
6. Pileus olive to olive-brown or tawny-olive. Stirps Virgata
Key to Sections
1. At least some pleurocystidia with walls thickened to 0.5 p. (or much
thicker), the wall thickening should be observed at the base of the
neck or in the ventricose portion... Section Flamnmnloidc\,
1. Pleurocystidia consistently thin-walled