SI BSECTION M1CBOSPOR1 05 



Pileus 2-6 cm broad, convex, becoming convex-campanulate or 

 subumbonate, sometimes plane or slightly depressed, margin recurved 

 at times, smokv violaceous or smoky lilac when fresh and moist, lad- 

 ing to near "violet-gray," nearly whitish at times in age, \ iseid or snbvis- 



cid, soon dry and shining, and then minutely fibrillose-floccose under 

 a lens, hygrophanous, pellicle thin, separable, margin often striate. 

 Context white to grayish or smoky violaceous near the margin, thick 



and firm on the disc; odor mild, taste mild at first but becoming bitter- 

 ish. 



Lamellae arcnate-adnate to decurrent, then decurrent, concolorous 

 with the pileus when moist, becoming whitish or grayish white, nar- 

 row to moderately broad, distant to subdistant, intervenose, edges 

 even. 



Stipe 3-6 cm long, 3-8(11) mm thick, white or silvery gray, equal 

 or narrowed downwards slightly, fibrillose or glabrous, naked at the 

 apex, stuffed but becoming hollow. 



Spores 5-6 X 4-5 /a, globose to subglobose, smooth, pale yellow in 

 Melzer's reagent. Basidia (31)38-44 X 5-6 ^, 4-spored. Pleurocystidia 

 and cheilocystidia not differentiated. Gill trama yellowish brown in io- 

 dine, of intricately interwoven, narrow hyphae (3.-5-6 /x broad). Cuti- 

 cle of slightly gelatinous hyphae which are colorless, more or less erect, 

 1-2 /x broad, and forming an ixotrichodermium. No hypodermium dif- 

 ferentiated. Pileus trama of radial hyphae which are subparallel to 

 slightly interwoven. Clamp connections on the cuticular hyphae. 



Habit, Habitat, and Distribution — On moist soil or in swampy 

 areas, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, and Canada, late summer 

 and fall. 



Material Studied — California: Smith 3880. Massachusetts: 

 Davis (Peck's type, Sept. 11, 1901). Michigan: Kauffman 537 (1356), 

 Rock River, Sept. 11, 1927; Smith 1110, 1166, 21333, 38801, 50810, 

 50496, 62130. Canada: (Ontario) Smith 4828. 



Observations — The smoky lilac colors of the pileus and gills, small 

 globose to subglobose spores, gelatinous pellicle of the pileus and whit- 

 ish stipe are distinctive. The small spores best distinguish it from 

 H. subviolaccus. Both have somewhat the same shades of color and 

 fade in a similar manner. H. tocmus of Europe apparently has about 

 the same colors but the base of the stipe is tinted bright yellow. A 

 critical comparative study of H. lacmus and //. pallid us should be 

 made. 



We have studied a collection from the Peck Herbarium which is 

 labeled H. pallidas — type. But, the specimens are confusing. They are 

 buff-colored and give the appearance of never having been smokv- 



