Hygrophorus procerus Stevenson (28 D) = Hygrocybe procera (Stevenson) comb. nov. (Basionym: H. procerus Stevenson, Kew Bull. 16: 380, 1962)

Holotype (K): 'Keith George Park, Wellington, N.Z.; leg. Stevenson (643), 15.VI.1949'. - Holotype of H. miniceps Stev. (K): 'Butterfly, Wellington, N.Z.; leg. Stevenson (1348), 2.VI.1958'. - Herb. HK. ZT 68/119: 'SW of Kumara, Mitchell’s, Lake Brunner, Prov. Westcoast, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 9.III.1968'. - Herb. HK. ZT 69/145: Xmas Village, Stewart Island, N.Z.; leg. Horak, 17.III.1969'.

Pileus 5-50 mm diam., scarlet, deep red-orange or orange-luteous hemispherical when young, later becoming expanded with low umbilicus fibrillose to minutely scaly, fibrils concolorous, squamules free and upturned or appressed, margin estriate, dry. Lamellae adnate to decurrent, red-orange to orange paler at the edges, distant. Stipe 15-70 x 3-6 mm, cylindric, equal or attenuated towards the base, red-orange to orange, paler near the base, smooth, dry, hollow. Context red-orange, yellow in the stipe. Odor and taste not distinctive. Chemical reactions on pileus: KOH, NH3 and HCl - negative. Spores 11-17 x 7-10 µm, ellipsoid to amygdaliform, smooth, inamyloid. Basidia 55-75 x 8-12 µm, 4- and rarely also 2-spored. Cystidia absent. Cuticle consisting of cylindric, not gelatinized hyphae (8-14 µm diam.) forming a cutis, tips of hyphae suberect, epimembranous and/or plasmatic pigment present. Clamp connections numerous.

In soil under Beilschmiedia, Dacrydium, Weinmannia, Metrosideros, etc., occasionally also under Nothofagus. New Zealand.

Stevenson 1962: Fig. 2/10-11; Pl. 6/5,7; Taylor 1970 (back cover).

In New Zealand this is a widely distributed and easily recognized species which occurs mainly in Podocarpus and broad leaved forests but is rarely seen in Nothofagus associations. Macroscopically H. procera . (Stev.) resembles H. intermedia (Pass.) or H. marchii (Bres.) but its large spores definitely separate it from the two European fungi. With respect to the size of the spores, the squamulose pileus and the colours, H. procera appears to be closely related with H. pseudococcineus Hongo (1955). Unfortunately no type material was available to compare the two taxa, which also have some relationships with H. suzukaensis Hongo (1962). However, the latter species differs in having a glabrous and non scurfy pileus. All characters found on the type material of H. miniceps Stevenson (1962) . also described from New Zealand indicate that this fungus is conspecific with H. procera (Stev.).

SPECIMENS: NZ: NA, Northcote, Kauri Glen Park, PDD 29369; Waitakere Range, Piha, ZT 750. - WL, Lake Brunner, Mitchells, ZT 68/119. - STI, Christmas Village, ZT 69/145.

Pileus -50 mm, hemispherical to plano-convex at first becoming expanded to depressed, occasionally infundibuliform; brilliant red-orange or orangeyellow, fading with age; dry, coarsely fibrillose to squamulose, free end of scaly fibrils (concolorous or paler on drying) appressed or upturned, margin nonstriate, hygrophanous. - Lamellae 8-16 (1-3) rather distant, broadly adnate to decurrent-arcuate, up to 6 mm wide; yellow, orange or red-orange, concolorous or paler at obtuse, edges entire. - Stipe 15-70 x`3-6 mm, cylindrical, equal or attenuated towards base; dry, glabrous to minutely fibrillose,

hollow, single or caespitose. - Context red-orange in pileus, yellow in stipe. - Odour and taste not distinctive. - Chemical reactions on pileus: KOH, HCI, and NH₃ - negative.

Spores 11-17 x 7-10 um, distinctly amygdaliform. –Basidia 55-75 x 8-12 um, 4-(rarely 2-) spored. - Cystidia absent. - Pileipellis a trichoderm of cylindrical, suberect hyphae (8-14 um diam.), membrane not gelatinised, with encrusting or plasmatic pigment, clamp connections present (Pl.1, Fig. 1).

DISTRIBUTION: NZ (NA, W, WL, STI).

ECOLOGY: Common; saprobic on soil among litter in Leptospermum scoparium or Kunzea ericoides and in broadleaved-conifer forests (Beilschmiedia, Metrosideros, Weinmannia, Dacrydium, Agathis). February-June.

 

TYPE: NZ: W, Wcllington,Keith George Park, under Beilschmiedia tawa, 15 vi 1949, Stevenson, K 643.

[Notes from Kew Type specimen, PRJ 2010] Kew images.

Pileus 1-2-5 cm., diam., orange to luteous, darker at centre, often striate at edge, hemispherical, matt to subfibrillose; flesh orange to yellow, rather waxy. Gills sinuately adnexed to adnate, orange, paler at edges, deep, distant, rather thick. Stipe 5-7 cm. X 2-3 mm. yellow to orange, smooth, silky to waxy, hollow to somewhat stuffed, rather tough, flesh continuous with that of cap; centre of cap is a separate plug of tissue above hollow centre of stipe. Spores 10 x 14-17 µm., hyaline, thin-walled, print white. Basidia 80-85 X 9-12 µm., four-spored.

habitat: in soil under forest, Keith George Park, 15.6.1949; & 26-6. 1958; Levin, 22.6.1958; Silverstream, 19.7-1949;  all Stevenson.

Pileus 1-2-5 cm., diam., e luteo aurantiacus, ad discum obscurior, ad marginem saepe striatus, hemisphaericus, impolitus vel subfibrillosus; came ex aurantiaco lutea subceracea. Lamellae sinuato-adnexae vel adnatae, aurantiacae, ad aciem pallidiores, latae, distantes, subcrassae. Stipes 5-7 cm. x 2-3 mm., e luteo aurantiacus, laevis, sericeus vel ceraceus, e farcto cavus, modice lentus; came cum illa pilei continua. In medio pilei, supra stipitem fistulosum, adest texturae epistomium distinctum. Sporae 10 x 14-17 µm., hyalinae, tenuiter tunicatae, in cumulo albidae.

Typus: Stevenson 643.