The North American Species of Pholiota

178. Pholiota sublubrica sp. nov.

Illustrations: Text figs. 396-398; pl. 85.

Pileus 4-10 (15) cm latus, convexo-umbonatus aurantio-fulvus demum pallide fulvus, ad marginem appendiculatus, viscidus. Contextus albus. Lamellae adnatae latae, confertae demum fulvomaculatae. Stipe 4–10 cm longus, 10-15 mm crassus, aequalis, solidus, subalbidus; deorsum squamulosus, demum fulvus. Sporae 5.5-7 x 3.2-4 µ. Pleurocystidia 45-83 x 9-16 µ, pallide Iutea, tenuitunicata. Cheilocystidia 32-50 x 8-12 (8) µ, fusoide ventricosa vel subclavata. Specimen typicum in Herb. Univ. Mich. conservatum est; legit prope Stanley, Idaho, 19 Aug. 1954. Smith 46383.

Pileus 4-10 (15) cm broad, obtuse when young, expanding to obtusely umbonate, disc ochraceous tawny to ochraceous orange, margin pale pinkish buff to more yellowish, with brownish veil remnants in zones or patches along the margin, surface in old caps somewhat watery spotted, viscid, margin even. Context white, no color change on bruising; odor or taste not distinctive.

Lamellae bluntly adnate, often with a decurrent tooth, dull rusty brown at maturity, occasionally rusty-spotted in age, moderately broad, close, pallid when young.

Stipe 4-10 cm long, 10-15 mm thick, equal, solid, fibrous-tough, whitish but base soon rusty brown and color change progressing upward, in age brown over all, apex silky, with a superior fibrillose zone or annulus, below this ragged-fibrillose to squamulose from the pallid veil remnants.

Spores 5.5-7 x 3.2-4 µ, smooth ochraceous tawny in KOH, merely yellowish in Melzer's reagent, apical pore minute; shape in face view oblong to slightly ovate, in profile obscurely to distinctly bean-shaped; wall thin (± 0.35 µ).

Basidia 17-20 (24) x 4-5 (6) µ 4-spored, clavate (hymenium bright yellow in KOH, duller yellow in Melzer's reagent). Pleurocystidia abundant, 45-83 x 9-16 µ, prominently projecting, broadly to narrowly fusoid-ventricose with greatly elongated neck of uneven diameter and apex obtuse to subacute, in KOH and Melzer's the content evenly ochraceous (rarely with solid matter), walls thin to slightly thickened (up to 0.5 µ) in ventricose part in some, smooth. Cheilocystidia 32-50 x 8-12 (18) µ, fusoid-ventricose and similar to pleurocystidia or shorter and more obese or utriform to subclavate, hyaline to evenly pale ochraceous in KOH. Caulocystidia none.

Gill trama of floccose parallel hyphae with hyaline smooth thin walls as revived in KOH, merely yellowish in Melzer's reagent, cells short to elongate, becoming inflated in age (8-15 µ); subhymenium a hyaline gelatinous narrow zone of interwoven hyphae. Pileus cutis a thick (to 250 µ) gelatinous layer of hyphae 2-3 µ diam., with smooth or nearly smooth walls and interwoven; hypodermial zone of narrow (3-8 µ) orange-rusty hyphae with incrusted walls. Context hyphae 5-15 µ diam., thin walled, smooth, interwoven and hyaline to yellowish in KOH. Clamp connections none. All hyphae inamyloid.

Habit, Habitat, and Distribution: On or near rotting conifer logs, Idaho, Washington and California, summer and fall.

Observations: This species has some characters in common with P. Iubrica, but differs chiefly in the brown color of the veil remnants on the pileus. This color is limited to the outer layer of the veil and shows best on remnants left on the pileus. Those on the stipe are usually whitish from the pulling apart of the veil layer as the stipes elongate. The stipe elongation is somewhat like that in subgenus Bulbopodium of Cortinarius where the outer veil if present connects to the rim of the basal bulb and the veil remnants on the stipe represent mostly partial veil material. See P. lubrica and P. avellaneifolia for further comment.

Material Examined: CALIFORNIA: Smith 56086. IDAHO: Smith 46383 (type), 65714, 69588, 69784. WASHINGTON: 17278.