SECT/OA HYGRO LSI Efl 245 



SECTION HYGROASTER (Singer) lies. & Sin. stat. nov. 

 Hygroaster Singer, Sydowia 9: 370. L955. 



Hvmenophore waw; spores nodulose; hvmenoplioral trama sub- 

 parallel with only a slight divergence toward the subhymenium. 

 Tvpe species: Hygrophorus nodulisporus Dennis. 



146 



Hygrophorus nodulisporus Dennis 



Hygroaster nodulispora (Dennis) Singer, Sydowia 9: 370. L955. 



Illustration: 



Dennis, Kew Bull. 2, fig. 4. 



Pileus 2.5 cm broad, convex, subumbilicate, silky, black. Context 

 black, thin, hygrophanous. 



Lamellae adnato-decurrent, grayish, subdistant. narrow, thick, of- 

 ten forked. 



Stipe grayish, cylindric, glabrous, fistulose. 



Spores 7-10 X 6-8 fx, ellipsoid, nodulose, nodules obtuse, 1 X 1 li, 

 non-amyloid. Basidia 48-58 x 7-11 ll, 4-spored, cylindric-clavate. 

 Pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia none. Gill trama of subparallel to 

 woven hyphae which tend to diverge toward the hymenium, perme- 

 ated bv a few dark-staining, vermiform hyphae. Cuticular hyphae 

 4-11 fx broad. 



Habit, Habitat, and Distribution — On soil, Trinidad. 



Material Studied — trinidad: Dennis 385 ( type, from Upper 

 Caura Valley). 



Observations — Dennis (1953) states that although this species has 

 spores like those of a Mycenella, its whole aspect is that of an Hygro- 

 phorus. He cites the long basidia and absence of cystidia to indicate 

 an affinity with Hygrophorus. 



Singer (1955) studied the type at Kew and found the gill trama to 

 have a central strand of fuscous, non-gelatinous, slightly interwoven 

 hyphae, and a hyaline lateral stratum consisting of thin filamentous 

 hyphae, more or less diverging toward the hymenium and imbedded 

 in a gelatinous mass. All hyphae are without clamp connections. 



Singer (1955) observed that this is a very distinctive species, un- 

 doubtedly a representative of the Hygrophoraceae but differing from 

 all other known members of the group by its stellate spores. It also has 

 another unique correlation of characters, viz., bilateral trama and h\ - 



