154 



STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



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. 





FicuRE 146. — Naucoria vernalis. Cap hair brown to clay color; gills grayish 

 brown to wood brown; stem clay color (natural size). Copyright 1900. 



The pileus is convex, then the center is nearly or quite expanded, 

 the margin at first inrolled and never fully expanded, hygrophanus, 

 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 inequilateral, 6-8 x 4-5//. Cystidia hya- 

 line, bottle shaped, 40-50 x 8-12//. The stem is somewhat hollow 

 and stuffed, rather cartilaginous, though somewhat brittle, especially 



