CLASSIFICATION OP A.QARK 



miuute, growing on grassy ground, mosses, - 1 i « k — . decayed wood, 

 or on the ground in various places. Thej correspond to the genua 

 Collybia o£ the white-spored group in the nature of tin- Btem, tin- 

 incurved margin of the young pileus and in habil and habitat. The} 

 differ from Pholiota in lacking an annulus; from Plammula in the 

 subcartilaginous Btem, and from Galera in the more convex pileus 

 ;iinl darker spore-mass. They are usually devoid of anj special 

 odor, inn may have a slightly disagreeable taste. Their edibility 

 is mostly uninvestigated, and their small size gives them do special 

 value as edible mushrooms. 



The PILEUS is slightly mure fleshy in many species than in 

 Galera; others have very thin flesh. It may be hemispherical and 

 convex, even conical in a few species, bu1 then ii teuds to expand 

 and become plane or depressed. Ii is often somewhal viscid, some 

 times hygrophanous, frequently dry. Ii is rarely striate on the 

 margin. The color is usually ochraceous or of dark shades <>r 

 fuscous, brown, etc. The surface is glabrous in two sections, 



(Gymnolae and Phaeotae), flocculose, scaly or silky in tl ther 



(Lepidotae). The GILLS are adnate or adnexed, never decurrent, 

 often broad or ventricose. Mos1 of them have differentiated 



sterile cells on the edge, which gives a paler or white dis- 



tinctness. A more careful study of the color iii the young 

 stage may make ii possible to separate species with greater ease. 

 The STEil is often toughish, when dry somewhal cartilaginous. It 

 i- short as compared with the species of Galera, except in ; i few 

 forms growing on sphagnum or dung. The CORTINA i- entirely 

 lacking in the firsl section, slightly developed iii the second and 

 third. Ii is probable thai a universal veil is present in some >\\' the 

 species of the third group. 



The species of Naucoria are rather numerous and seem to occur 

 over the whole world. Only a comparatively small number are here 

 described, and a careful study needs to he made of many others 

 found in the State. Fries includes i v species from Europe in his 

 Hymen. Europ. Peck has described 19 from this country. These 



species all need microscopic study. 



Key to iii< S>p< cu * 



(A) Growing in grassy places or pastures. 



(a) Pileus dark watery brown when moist; hygrophanous A. 



tabacina Fr. 

 (aa) Pileus yellowish or ochraceous. 



itii Pileus dry. sliehtly tomentose or silky on margin. 547 .V. 



pediades Fr. 

 (bb) Pileus more or less viscid. 



