The North American Species of Pholiota
3. Pholiota canescens sp. nov.
Pileus 8-22 mm latus, late convexus, albocanescens, subhygrophanus. Lamellae late adnatae, ferrugineae, latae, confertae. Stipes 2-3.5 cm longus, 1.5-2.5 mm crassus, ferrugineus, albofibrillosus; annulatus. Annulus albus. Sporae 5-7.5 x 3.8-5 µ Pleurocystidia 30-40 x 7-9 µ, subcapitata. Cheilocystidia 34-76 x 4-6 µ, filamentosa vel subcapitata. Specimen typicum in Herb. Univ. Mich. conservatum est; legit prope Mt. Hood, Ore. 28 Sept. 1922, C. H. Kauffman.
Pileus 8-22 mm broad, broadly convex, obtuse, covered with small whitish appressed silky canescence composed of elements of the sparse trichodermium, at length these grouped into small fascicles or squamules, color ferruginous ("Kaiser brown") beneath this coating when moist, somewhat hygrophanous and paler when dried (as in P. confragosa). Context concolorous 1-1.5 mm thick, odor and taste not distinctive.
Lamellae broadly adnate, ferruginous ("Kaiser brown") at maturity, rather broad (4-5 mm), narrowed to cap margin, close to crowded, thin, edges entire.
Stipe 2-3.5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm thick, equal, "cinnamon rufous," clothed by silky fibrils or appressed whitish scales up to the delicate membranous fragile spreading annulus, above ring even, pruinose, concolorous within except for the narrow whitish stuffed axis.
Spores 5-7.5 x 3.8-5 µ, elliptic to ovate in face view, slightly inequilateral in profile, smooth, pale cinnamon in KOH slightly paler in Melzer's reagent, germ pore minute.
Basidia 17-24 x 3.5-5 µ, clavate, 4-spored. Pleurocystidia 30-40 x 7-9 µ, slightly ventricose, apex capitate or subacute, not projecting greatly beyond the basidia. Cheilocystidia 34-76 x 4-6 µ, filamentous or apex enlarged and subcapitate, very numerous and conspicuous.
Gill trama subparallel, hyphae 5-9 µ broad, walls rusty cinnamon in KOH; subhymenium not distinctive. Pileus cutis of appressed brown hyphae bearing a sparse trichodermium of hyaline to pale brownish hyphae 5-15 µ diam., the terminal cell of a filament cystidioid. All hyphae inamyloid. Clamp connections present.
Habit, Habitat, and Distribution: On decayed wood, among mosses, Oregon, September, (type, Kauffman, 9-28-22).
Observations: This species is clearly closely related to P. confragosa but differs in the spores having a minute germ pore, the presence of pleurocystidia, redder colors and the pileus is less hygrophanous.
