206 SECTION HYGROCYBE 



Material Studied — California: Smith 9148 (type, Prairie Creek 

 State Park, Orick, Nov. 27, 1937), 9419. 



Observations — The outstanding features of this species are its ex- 

 ceptionallv brilliant red, viscid pileus and white stipe. In its other char- 

 acters it closely resembles H. puniceus and H. coccineus. Both of these 

 have colored stipes and were collected along with H. laetissimus so 

 that a comparison of fresh specimens of all three species was made. 

 There is also a rather distinct difference in color between dried speci- 

 mens. Those of H. laetissimus are a bright fiery orange compared to 

 the duller colors of both the others. H. jnarchii Bres. is also close to 

 H. laetissimus but the former has a highly colored, more slender stipe. 



119 



Hygrophorus subminiatus (Murr. ) Murr. 



Mycologia 4: 332. 1912 



Hydrocybe subminiata Murr., Mycologia 3: 198. 1911. 



Pileus 1.5 cm broad, convex to plane, at length irregular, miniatous, 

 varying slightly in places, viscid, smooth, margin undulate. 



Lamellae decurrent, whitish to ochraceous, medium broad to nar- 

 row, subdistant. 



Stipe 3 cm long, 2 mm thick, luteous, terete, crooked, slightly en- 

 larged above, glabrous. 



Spores 7-9 X 3.5-5 fx, subcylindric to more or less allantoid, at 

 times slipper-shaped, more or less constricted, ends obtuse, smooth, 

 pale yellowish in Melzer's reagent. Basidia 26-37 X 6-8 fx, 2-spored. 

 Pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia none. Gill trama subparallel. Cuticle 

 a narrow gelatinous zone ( 20-40 fx thick ) , the hyphae repent, an ixocu- 

 tis, or at times more or less erect. No hypodermium differentiated. 

 Pileus trama of radial hyphae. Clamp connections present on the cu- 

 ticular hyphae. 



Habit, Habitat, and Distribution — On soil on a shaded bank, 

 Jamaica, December-January; possibly from Cuba, and from North 

 Carolina, Michigan, and Washington, July-September. 



Material Studied — Jamaica: Murrill 369 (type, from Chester 

 Vale, 3000 ft. elevation, Dec. 23, 1908). Michigan: Sawyer, Gorge 

 UBS, July 14, 1955; Smith 18681. north Carolina: Hesler 12316. 

 Washington: Smith 17170, 17421, 17928, 29510. 



Observations — The description of microscopic characters given 

 above is based on our study of the type. This species differs from H. 

 miniatus in its viscid pileus, decurrent, gills, and more or less con- 

 stricted spores. Actually, it is more closely related to H. laetissimus 

 and H. puniceus than to H. miniatus. 



