, 1899.

NAUCORIA Fr.

This genus, with ferruginous spores, corresponds with _Collybia_ among
the white-spored agarics. The gills are free or attached, but not
decurrent, and the stem is cartilaginous. The plants grow both on the
ground and on wood. Peck, 23rd Report N. Y. State Mus., p. 91, _et
seq._, gives a synopsis of seven species.

=Naucoria semi-orbicularis= Bull. =Edible.=--This is one of the common
and widely distributed species. It occurs in lawns, pastures, roadsides,
etc., in waste places, from June to autumn, being more abundant in rainy
weather. The plants are 7--10 cm. high, the cap 3--5 cm. broad, and the
stem 2--3 mm. in thickness. The =pileus= is convex to expanded, and is
remarkably hemispherical, from which the species takes the name of
_semi-orbicularis_. It is smooth, viscid when moist, tawny, and in age
ochraceous, sometimes the surface is cracked into areas. The =gills= are
attached, sometimes notched, crowded, much broader than the thickness
of the pileus, pale, then reddish brown. The =stem= is tough, slender,
smooth, even, pale reddish brown, shining, stuffed with a whitish pith.
Peck says that the plants have an oily flavor resembling beechnuts.

=Naucoria vernalis= Pk.--_Naucoria vernalis_ was described by Peck in
23rd Report N. Y. State Mus., p. 91, from plants collected in May. The
plants described here appeared in woods in late autumn. The specimens
from which this description is drawn were found growing from the under
side of a very rotten beech log, usually from deep crevices in the log,
so that only the pileus is visible or exposed well to the view. The
plants are 4--8 cm. high, the cap 2--3 cm. broad, and the stem 4--5 mm.
in thickness. The taste is bitter.

[Illustration: FIGURE 150.--Naucoria vernalis. Cap hair brown to clay
color; gills grayish brown to wood brown; stem clay color (natural
size). Copyright.]

The =pileus= is convex, then the center is nearly or quite expanded, the
margin at first inrolled and never fully expanded, hygrophanous, smooth
(not striate nor rugose), flesh about 5--6 mm. thick at center, thin
toward the margin. The color changes during growth, it is from
ochraceous rufus when young (1--2 mm. broad), then clove brown to hair
brown and clay color in age. The =gills= are grayish brown to wood
brown, at first adnate to slightly sinuate, then easily breaking away
and appearing adnexed. The =spores= are wood brown in color, oval to
short elliptical and