66 MINNESOTA MUSHROOMS 



spends to C 1 1 }• b i a among the white-spored agarics. The plants are mostly 

 small, and occur in grassland, though a few are found on well-decayed w'ood. All 

 of our species are edible. The name refers to the shape of the cap. 



Key to the Species 



1. Cap usually hemispheric, sticky when moist; stem rust- 



brown X. scmiorbicularis 



2. Cap convex to plane, not sticky; stem yellowish or pale 



a. Cap brownish ; gills rust-colored J\'. haniadryas 



b. Cap yellowish ; gills brown X. pediades 



Naucoria semiorbicularis Nutshell Cap 



Cap small, 2-6 cm. wide, tawny to rust-colored, paler in age, sticky when wet, 

 smooth, often cracked in age, more or less persistently hemispheric, finally convex 

 or plane; stem 7-12 cm. by 2-3 mm., rust-colored to reddish brown, smooth, tough, 

 containing a free tube of fibers ; gills adnate, rarely sinuate, rust-colored, very 

 broad, crowded; spores rust-colored or brownish, elliptic, 10-12 X 5-8/a. The 

 name refers to the hemispheric cap. 



Common in lawns and grassland everywhere, spring to frost ; the caps are 

 excellent. 



Naucoria hamadryas Dryad Cap 



Cap small, 2-5 cm. wide, brownish rust-color or brown, paler in age, dry, 

 smooth, convex to plane; stem 5-8 cm. by 4-6 mm., whitish or yellowish, smooth, 

 hollow ; gills adnexed or sometimes nearly free, rust-colored, broad, crowded ; 

 spores rust-colored, elliptic, 12-14 X 'm- The name is fanciful. 



On the ground from spring to autumn ; edible. 



Naucoria pediades Plain Naucoria 



Cap small, 2-5 cm. wide, yellow to tan or paler, smooth, dry, often cracked in 

 ac^e. convex to plane; stem 5-8 cm. by 2-4 mm., yellowish, finely silky or smooth, 

 tough, stuffed ; gills adnexed , dull lirown. broad ; spores rust-brown, elliptic, 

 10-12 X 4- 5/t; c v s t i d i a 30-40 X 8-10/x. The name probably refers to its growth 

 in grassland. 



On the ground in grassland from spring to frost; edible. 



GALERA 



Related to Naucoria and T u b a r i a, but distinguished from the former 

 l)v having the margin straight from the first, and from the latter by the adnate 

 wills. It is characterized also by the more or less persistently conical or bell-shaped 



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