The North American species of Psathyrella.

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MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

[VOL. 24

to slightly ovate, in profile subelliptic to obscurely inequilateral, color in KOH
dark chocolate-color, in Melzer's reddish tawny, wall about 0.2 pu thick.
Basidia 12-24x6-8 /J, 4-spored, clavate to subelliptic, hyaline in KOH.
Pleurocystidia scattered, 28-37 x 9-13 /i, broadly fusoid- to fusoid-ventricose with
a short neck, apex subacute to rounded, wall thin, smooth and hyaline, content
not distinctive in either KOH or Melzer's. Cheilocystidia short-fusoid with obtuse
apex, 24-32 x8-13 It, smooth, thin-walled, hyaline in KOH, content not distinctive. Caulocystidia rare to absent over midportion or above.
Cuticle of pileus 1-2 cells deep, the cells inflated and with hyaline to yellowish walls in KOH, cell content not distinctive. Subcutis a layer of cinnamoncolored hyphae which when fresh appear incrusted but are smooth as revived
in KOH. Remainder of the trama merely pale ochraceous to hyaline in KOH.
Clamps present. No distinctive reactions noted when tissues were revived in
Melzer's.
Type locality. Maple Bay, Burt Lake, Cheboygan County, Michigan.
Habit and habitat. Gregarious to scattered on mud, July.
Distribution. Michigan.
Observations. This distinctive little species is known by the small dark colored
spores in KOH, the FeSO4 reaction, the thin veil, the very short and relatively
broad cystidia and habitat on mud.
385. Psathyrella ferruginea A. H. Smith, sp. nov.
Pileus 1-2.5 cm latus, late convexus, glaber, ferrugineus dein melleibrunneus;
lamellae pallidae demum fusco-brunneae, confertae; stipes 3-4.5 cm longus,
1.5-2 mm crassus, pallidus demum sordidus, glabrescens; sporae 8-10x 5-6 /t;
pleurocystidia 42-58 x 10-16 /, fusoide ventricosa, obtusa; fibulae adsunt. Typus.
Smith 34853 (MICH); legit prope Libbey Creek, Centennial, Wyoming.
Illust. Text Figs. 829-832.
Pileus 1-2.5 cm broad, obtuse, expanding to broadly convex, surface moist and
hygrophanous, glabrous (excellent button stages were present), color "hazel" to
"ferruginous" at first, paler to honey brown at maturity ("buckthorn brown"),
margin translucent-striate when moist, fading to pinkish buff on disc first; veil
none. Context very thin and fragile, odor not distinctive.
Lamellae pallid brownish becoming about "wood brown" to "hair brown"
(brownish gray and lacking cocoa-colored tinges), broadly adnate, close, seceding.
Stipe 3-4.5 cm long, 1.5-2 mm thick, pallid but appearing unpolished from a
thin coating of fibrils (the smallest button with a faint zone from a rudimentary
veil-or merely slightly overgrown from the basal mycelium?), color in the dingy
pallid brownish series over all but the base not darkening on aging.
Spores 8-10x 5-6 /x, smooth, apical pore small and apex scarcely appearing
truncate, shape in face view elliptic to ovate, in profile obscurely inequilateral to
subelliptic, in a few slightly bean-shaped, color in KOH cocoa-color at first, slowly
becoming chocolate-brown, in Melzer's reddish tawny, wall about 0.4, thick.
Basidia 18-26x9-11 a, 4-spored, clavate, hyaline in KOH. Pleurocystidia
scattered, 42-58x 10-16 /,, subcylindric with obtuse to rounded apex, or fusoidventricose to irregularly fusoid, the apex obtuse to subacute, rarely roundedsubcapitate, often with a highly refringent thickening or lining along the interior
walls of the apical region, wall smooth, thin and hyaline. Cheilocystidia 30-40 x
10-14 /, subclavate to obtusely fusoid-ventricose with hardly any neck, smooth,
hyaline in KOH, thin-walled. Caulocystidia similar to the pleurocystidia varying