298 THE AGARICACEAE OF MICHIGAN 



fibrillose-striate, stuffed then hollow, dark fuscous-umber below, pale 

 at apex. ANNULUS membranous, thin, fragile, veil fuscous and 

 striate above, pale below; veil sometimes adhering to margin of 

 pileus. SPORES variable in size and shape, long elliptical, to sub- 

 pyriform, 12-15x5-7 micr., sometimes doininantly 12 micr., some- 

 times 15, smooth, on slender sterigmata. BASIDIA iispored. 

 CYSTIDIA nine-pin shaped, or lanceolate, 40-50 micr. long, scat- 

 tered, fragile, shorter on edge of gills. 



Gregarious. In hemlock mixed woods in paths or among debris, 

 usually in moist ground. Bay View", Houghton, Marquette, New 

 Richmond. July-October. Rather frequent locally. 



This species has a confused history. It was given several names 

 by Peck. Under /'. indecens Peck gives spore-measurements 12-15 

 micr. long, but in his monograph of the New York State Pholiotas, 

 they are said to be 10-12.5 micr. long. This discrepancy is due to 

 spore variations in different individuals as I have assured myself. 

 Often many spores of a specimen are less than 12 micr., but the 

 majority of collections show a dominance of spores 15 micr. long. 

 Often they vary much in the same specimen. This plant prefers 

 low, moist hemlock woods although it is found elsewhere. Its viscid 

 character disappears in dry weather, and the pileus in luxuriant 

 plants is often very rugose ; this is var. retirugis Pk. The European 

 species, P. ercbia, as figured by Cooke and Patouillard remind one 

 very much of our plant. But the pileus of that species is described 

 as hygrophanous although Fries says it is also subviscid. The 

 cystidia are also figured differently by Patouillard, yet I should not 

 be surprised if our plant were to turn out to be identical with P. 

 erebia Fr. Some specimens have a distinct fuscous-purplish tinge 

 to the gills, and the spores under the microscope suggest a Stro- 

 pharia rather than a Pholiota ; but this character also seems vari- 

 able, even where spores and cystidia are the same. 



Section II. Truncigeni. Lignatile, caespitose or solitary. Pileus 

 scaly, not hygrophanous. Gills changing color. Cystidia lacking. 



*(!ills at first white or whitish. 



289. Pholiota destruens (Fr.) Bres. 



Fungi Tridentini, I, 1881. 



Hymen. Europ., 1874. (As Pholiota destruens Fr., Pholiota 

 coniosa F*\, and Pholiota heteroclita Fr.). 



