32 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 



It is now evident to us that some of these reagents produce color re- 

 actions of value in the recognition of species, and any future studies of 

 the genus should pay close attention to the color changes on the apical 

 ornamentation of the stipe when KOH is applied. Melzer's reagent has 

 proven of value in a number of species by focusing attention on pecul- 

 iar granules in the hyphal cells. We have used this reagent in all of 

 our studies of dried material in recent years, but have been unable to 

 recollect all the North American species to check color reactions on the 

 fresh specimens. 



From our limited experience, however, we believe that, in general, 

 this type of feature will be about as monotonous as a character such as 

 spore size. Since we believe by far the majority of species can be 

 readily recognized on morphological characters, we feel that it is not 

 desirable to postpone the publication of this monograph until all the 

 problems of the chemical approach have been solved. 



ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS 



Insofar as distribution as to habitats-distribution can be ascertained 

 by the fruiting bodies collected, Hygrophorus stands out as an un- 

 specialized genus which exhibits tendencies toward habitat speciali- 

 zation in certain of the infrageneric categories. Primarily Hygrophori 

 occur in forest or brushy situations, but they are known from pastures 

 as well, and the edge of a wood lot is often a good hunting ground. 

 Some of the forest-inhabiting species are very generalized, occurring 

 under hardwoods and conifers alike, and seeming to need only a shady 

 moist location. H. psittacinus and H. pratensis are examples. In fact the 

 species of Hygrocybe generally exhibit more widely distributed habi- 

 tats than Camarophyllopsis or Hygrophorus species. H. conicus grows 

 "almost anywhere." H. puniceus fruits abundantly during very wet 

 years in a variety of forest types, as does H. flavescens. Such species, 

 on the basis of field evidence, would of necessity be regarded as sapro- 

 phytes either without the ability to form mycorrhiza or with the ability 

 to enter into this relationship with almost any rootlet in the vicinity 

 of the mycelium. In either case the term unspecialized is appropriate. 



At the other end of the spectrum we find species whose fruiting 

 bodies have been collected only in the vicinity of certain species of 

 seed plant. Hygrophorus speciosus, to our knowledge, fruits only in 

 the vicinity of tamarack trees ( species of Larix ) , and the type variety 

 perhaps exclusively with Larix occidentalis. It is assumed, on the basis 



