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Species Information
Summary: Pholiota limonella is a member of the Pholiota aurivella group (yellow to orange viscid cap with large spot-like darker scales, scaly stem, and brown spore deposit). Of the P. aurivella group, most are Pholiota limonella and most of the rest P. aurivella, while P. adiposa is rare in North America, (these three differing in spore size). Scates(2) say (with Latin names underlined), "In Western North America members of a large and confusing group of variants are commonly found; they are usually called P. aurivella or P. squarrosa-adiposa. Recent research and culture work (by Farr, Miller, & Farr) have resolved them into three non-crossbreeding species, all similar in looks and differing only in spore size. Besides the names already mentioned, other Western variants, sometimes called separate species, are P. abietis, P. connata, and P. limonella. Of all the names involved, P. limonella was used first and thus has priority. It is much the most common of the three non-crossbreeding species, and you will be right about 90% of the time if you use it. P. aurivella does occur in North America but is not common. P. adiposa is almost unknown from this continent." Smith(3) describe Pholiota squarrosoadiposa Lange separately with young gills distinctly yellow, but say it may be identical. Hansen, L.(2) give P. squarrosoadiposa Lange as a synonym, and Ammirati(1) says that the name P. squarrosoadiposa has also been applied to P. limonella. The description is derived from Smith(3) unless otherwise specified. Pholiota limonella is common in the Pacific Northwest.
Smith(15) indicates its presence in BC, WA, and OR, (as P. squarrosoadiposa). The University of Washington has collections from ID and AK. The type of P. limonella is from NY. It was reported by Volk(3) from AK. Breitenbach(4) give the distribution as North America and Europe.
Cap: 2.5-5cm across, convex or nearly flat, sometimes with an umbo; lemon yellow when fresh, with scattered reflexed or suberect [somewhat erect], fibrillose, reddish or tawny scales; viscid
Stem: 3-7cm x 0.3-0.5cm, equal; "pallid or yellowish, with scattered, yellow recurved scales"; smooth above the ring
Veil: forms floccose [cottony], evanescent [fleeting], yellow ring
Odor: mild (Phillips)
Taste: mild (Phillips)
Microscopic spores: spores 6-7.5 x 4-5 microns, ovate to elliptic in face view, obscurely bean-shaped to obscurely inequilateral in side view, smooth, with a distinct germ pore causing apex to appear somewhat truncate in some, wall about 0.3 microns thick, dull tawny to ochraceous tawny in KOH, more ochraceous on standing in Melzer''s reagent; basidia 4-spored, 18-24 x 6-7.5 microns at apex, about 2 microns in pedicel, colorless in KOH, nearly so in Melzer''s reagent; pleurocystidia 23-40 x 7-12 microns, "long-pedicellate and clavate-mucronate to subclavate above", with a colorless refractive inclusion as revived in KOH "or containing evenly ochraceous to rusty brown homogeneous material, smooth, thin-walled", cheilocystidia 23-30 x 5-9 microns, "clavate, fusoid, or subcylindric, content usually ochraceous, thin-walled, smooth"; caulocystidia rare, resembling the cheilocystidia, (Smith for Pholiota limonella, clamp connections present in P. squarrosoadiposa), spores 6.5-9.3 x 3.7-5.6 microns, pleurocystidia 24-65 x 6.5-13 microns, chrysocystidia present (Scates, with spore size from Farr et al.)
Spore deposit: rusty brown (Phillips)
Habitat / Range
in dense groups and clusters, usually on rotting logs and trees of hardwood, especially maple, sometimes in wounds in living trees, some forms also on compost, (Ammirati), type found on beech in New York, Pholiota squarroso-adiposa cespitose [in tufts] "in large masses on alder and maple logs in the Pacific Northwest", (Smith), on hardwood or conifer wood, (Scates), summer, fall, winter
Similar Species
Pholiota aurivella and Pholiota adiposa are also in the P. aurivella group but have spores of different size. 90% in PNW are P. limonella and most of the rest P. aurivella (spores 7-9.5(11) x 4.5-6 microns in Smith; Farr et al. were reported in Scates(2) to give 8.5-10.2 x 5-6.5 microns for P. aurivella and 6.5-9.3 x 3.7-5.6 microns for P. limonella). P. adiposa is rare from North America but has spores 5-6 x 3-4 microns, (Smith). Pholiota connata has a yellow cap, a thin viscid layer over the stem below the veil line, growth in connate fascicles, and spores 7-9 x 3.5-4.5 microns, (Smith). Pholiota filamentosa 1) has a yellowish stem that becomes rusty brown in its lower part, 2) has a flanged stem base, 3) has a thick, somewhat persistent fibrillose ring in at least some fruitbodies of a cluster, 4) grows on conifer wood, and 5) has spores 6-7.5(8) x 3.8-4.2 microns, (Smith). Pholiota hiemalis has 1) large flat gelatinous scales on a cap that finally disintegrate into dark brown discolorations that are not scale-like, 2) pallid young gills with bright yellow edges, 3) gelatinous as well as dry patches and scales on stem, 4) conifer log habitat, and 5) spores 7-9(10) x 4-4.5 microns, (Smith). Pholiota aurivelloides, found at least in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, has broader spores than P. aurivella (8-11(1.5) x 6-7(8) microns) and different pleurocystidia, (Smith). Pholiota flammans has a brilliant yellow cap, gills and stem, and has smaller spores (4-5 x 2-3 microns), (Scates). Pholiota abietis has the following combination of characters that distinguish it from Pholiota limonella: cap covered with broad tawny scales, young gills pallid, stem increasingly scaly downward from veil line, and growth on conifer wood, (Smith(3), but according to Ammirati(11) Farr et al. (1977) consider them conspecific). See also SIMILAR section of Pholiota squarrosa.
