The North American species of Psathyrella.

1972]

PSATHYRELLA

41

mentous hyphae project from this layer to form the fibrils of the pileus surface,
these are clamped and their walls smooth to minutely rough and hyaline to
ochraceous in KOH. Context of sordid yellowish brown hyphae (in KOH), or
these paler toward the subhymenium.
Type locality. North River, Warren County, New York.
Habit and habitat. Gregarious in damp places under herbs or in grassy
places or along gravel roads, often occurring in large numbers.
Distribution. Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Ohio,
Oregon, Utah, and Washington in United States and British Columbia and
Quebec in Canada.
Observations. This species is very distinct from P. velutina in the features
of the spores: These are more inequilateral in profile, the ornamentation is less
distinct, and the apex is typically rather broadly truncate.
Material examined. UNITED STATES. Colorado: Smith 51968. Idaho:
Smith 44236, 44240, 53709, 54240, 54448, 54817, 55049, 55053, 55078, 58547.
Michigan: Ammirati 2881; Imshaug 4811; Smith 28753, 32135, 39704, 43435,
50400, 64630, 5-31-57, 10-3-59. New Mexico: Barrows 532. Ohio: Walters 149,
198, 217, no number. Oregon: Smith 28036, 28168. Utah: McKnight F86. Washington: Smith 39918. Wyoming: Smith 34385. CANADA. British Columbia:
Waugh 10-7-61. Quebec: Groves 10-6-47.
8. Psathyrella subcinnamomea A. H. Smith, sp. nov.
Pileus 2-4(-7.5) cm latus, 2-2.5 cm altus, obtuse conicus demum convexus,
siccus, fibrillosus, cinnamomeus vel subcinnamomeus; lamellae confertae, latae
pallide brunneae demum testaceae; stipes (4-)5-7 cm longus, (4-)5-8(-10) mm
crassus, subcinnamomeus, fibrillosus; sporae 7-10x4-5(-6) /, subleves. Typus.
Smith 16957 (MICH).
Illust. P1. 7; Text Figs. 15-17.
Pileus 2-4(-7.5) cm broad, 2-2.5 cm high, obtusely conic to nearly convex
when young, becoming broadly umbonate to nearly plane in age, surface dry and
coarsely fibrillose from the veil fibrils, color "Verona brown" on the disc and
"Sayal brown" over the marginal area (dark cinnamon on disc, more or less
pale tawny toward the margin), sometimes "tawny" or "ochraceous-tawny"
over all; cortina "pinkish buff" (pale buff). Context about 3.5 mm thick near
the stipe, tapered evenly to the margin, watery "Sayal brown" when moist, buff
when faded, fragile, taste none, odor slightly acidulous or lacking.
Lamellae only moderately close (23-37 reach the stipe), 2-3 tiers of lamellulae,
moderately broad (about 4 mm at the stipe), tapered to the pileus margin,
ascending adnate and readily seceding, pallid brownish at first, dark testaceous at
maturity, edges white fimbriate.
Stipe (4-)5-7 cm long, (4-)5-8(-10) mm thick, equal above a very slightly
enlarged base, tubular to hollow, sordid watery brown within, surface covered by
more or less concentric zones of dull cinnamon to tawny appressed fibrillose veil
remnants, cortina pale buff and leaving an evanescent zone where it breaks, apex
silky to pruinose.
Spores 7-10x4-5(-6) A, mostly very slightly ornamented but some appearing smooth, plage smooth, apex truncate and somewhat snout-like in many, shape
in face view elliptic-truncate to somewhat ovate-truncate, in profile somewhat
inequilateral-truncate, plage area flattened, color in KOH dark rusty brown soon
becoming dark chocolate-color, in Melzer's dull bay-red, wall about 0.3 u thick.