The North American Species of Pholiota
140. Pholiota ferruginea sp. nov.
Illustrations: Text figs. 297-298.
Pileus 4-8 cm latus, obtusus demum obtuse umbonatus, viscidus, ferrugineus, ad marginem aurantio-ochraceus. Contextus luteus. Lamellae latae, confertae, demum subdecurrentes. Stipes 5-8 cm longus, 3-8 mm crassus, aequalis, farctus, subluteus, sursum sericeus, deorsum fibrillosus et demum fulvus. Velum fibrillosum copiosum. Sporae 6-7 x 3.5-4 µ. Pleurocystidia 45-65 x 9-14 µ fusoide ventricosa crasso-tunicata (1.5-4 µ). Specimen typicum in Herb. Univ. of Mich. conservatum est; legit prope Port Angeles, Wash., 21 Sept. 1941. Smith 17092.
Pileus 4-8 cm broad, obtuse with a curved in margin when young, expanding to broadly umbonate with a decurved margin, surface viscid, ferruginous, gradually becoming more orange to ochraceous along the margin and disc ferruginous-brown. Context yellowish, odor and taste not recorded.
Lamellae moderately broad, close, adnate, developing a decurrent tooth, pale yellow or very soon becoming so, finally dull tawny from the spores, edges even.
Stipe 5-8 cm long, 3-8 mm thick, equal, stuffed, pallid yellowish above, silky above the veil line, appressed fibrillose lower down and becoming dark rusty brown from base up. Veil copious, fibrillose, yellowish, leaving an evanescent zone where it breaks.
Spores 6-7 x 3.5-4 µ, smooth, apical pore very minute, in face view elliptic to oval, rarely slightly constricted in mid-portion, in profile slightly bean-shaped to obscurely inequilateral, in KOH pale tawny, merely slightly duller in Melzer's reagent, wall thin (± 0.25 µ).
Basidia 18-22 x 5-6 µ clavate, 4-spored, hyaline to ochraceous in KOH and Melzer's reagent. Pleurocystidia abundant 45-65 x 9-14 µ, fusoid-ventricose, with walls 1.5-4 µ thick, apex obtuse, content homogeneous to yellow to hyaline in KOH, smooth or with some amorphous debris around apex, usually with a distinct narrow pedicel, wall hyaline throughout. Cheilocystidia similar to pleurocystidia or shorter and with thinner walls. Caulocystidia none observed.
Gill trama of floccose subparallel hyphae of long and short cells finally inflated, hyaline to yellowish in KOH; subhymenium gelatinous, of narrow hyaline smooth hyphae. Pileus cutis a gelatinous pellicle of ochraceous or paler hyphae, with yellowish to tan incrustations, interwoven, 3-5 µ diam.; hypodermium of bright rusty cinnamon (in KOH) hyphae 5-12 µ, diam. with conspicuous incrustations. Context hyphae smooth, cells inflated, walls thin and hyaline to yellowish in KOH. Clamp connections present. All hyphae inamyloid.
Habit, Habitat, and Distribution: Gregarious on debris under conifers, summer and falls, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Observations: This species closely resembles P. ferrugineo-lutescens but the pleurocystidia have conspicuously thickened walls, and the stipe did not stain yellow when handled.
Material Examined: IDAHO: Smith 54461, 69534, 70601. OREGON: Smith 19647, 24022, 24445, 24583. WASHINGTON: Smith 17092 (type), 17344, 17768, 40566, 49042.
