304 SECTION HYGROPHORUS 



(3-4 /jl) hyphae, usually forming somewhat of an ixotrichodermium, 

 more rarely an ixocutis. No hypodermium evident. Pileus trama of 

 radial, more or less parallel hyphae. Clamp connections present on the 

 cuticular and gill trama hyphae. 



Habit, Habitat, and Distribution — Gregarious under conifers 

 and in Sphagnum bogs, Florida, Michigan, Idaho, California, and 

 Oregon; also in Canada, Argentina, and Europe; September-February. 



Material Studied — California: Smith 56486, 56822, 56888, 

 56953. Florida: Hesler & Meyer 20245. idaho: Smith 53233. Michigan: 

 Bailey 143; Smith 999, 1108, 1135, 1235, 31929, 43973, 50957, 51035. 

 Oregon: Smith 4844, 26660; Smith & Gruber 19247. Canada: Groves 

 11881. Argentina: Singer M413. 



Observations — Our material corresponds well to the descriptions 

 of most European investigators. Niiesch (1922) describes the stipe as 

 dry. The thin layer of gluten disappears very soon, and, depending on 

 weather conditions, one might describe the stipe as viscid on one 

 occasion and as dry on the next. Consequently the above-mentioned 

 discrepancy is not serious. The outstanding characters are the ash- 

 colored pilei, and the fibrils on the stipe which are typically white but 

 soon change to gray. Konrad (1936) apparently believes that 

 H. olivaceoalbus var. gracilis is the fungus Fries described under the 

 name H. tephroleucus. It remains to be seen whether or not this 

 concept will be generally accepted by European investigators. Konrad 

 would probably have placed the species here described as H. tephro- 

 leucus under H. pustulatus. The pilei of the California collection of the 

 latter, however, were not as fibrillose as those of H. tephroleucus, and 

 the stems were punctate above as in H. pudorinus rather than fur- 

 nished with fine fibrillose points as in H. tephroleucus. 



184 



Hygrophorus tephroleucus var. aureofloccosus Sm. & Hes. 



Lloydia 2: 26. 1939 



Illustration: 

 Fig. 94. 



Pileus 2-5.5 cm broad, convex, finally expanding-convex-depressed 

 or plane, at times umbonate, "deep mouse gray," "drab" to "hair 

 brown," or near "fuscous," paler when covered by leaves, viscid, in- 

 nately squamulose to glabrous, often pustulate, margin incurved often 

 floccose, even or crenulate. Context white, medium thick; odor and 

 taste not distinctive. 



Lamellae adnate-decurrent, white, finally pale, creamy in age, 



