Also known as the brown alder mushroom or ochre aldercap, Naucoria escharioides (also classified as Alnicola escharioides) is a small mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae, found growing exclusively in close partnership with alder trees.
It belongs to the phylum Basidiomycota and the order Agaricales, and its fruiting bodies emerge from the ground near its host trees rather than from wood or leaf litter.
Because its presence is tied so tightly to alder, spotting this mushroom is itself a clue that alder roots are nearby.
Fruiting Body and Identification
The brown cap, measuring about 1 to 4 centimeters across, starts out convex and can flatten or even turn upward at the margins as the mushroom matures. With age the margin splits and becomes wavy, giving older specimens an irregular, torn-edged look.
The gills are adnate to somewhat decurrent and range from brown to beige. In young specimens a cortina, a cobweb-like veil, covers the gills; as the mushroom opens, the cortina breaks and leaves fibrous remnants clinging to the stipe.
The stipe itself is slender, about 1.5 to 4 centimeters long and only 1 to 4 millimeters wide, yellowish brown in color and fibrillose in texture. The spore print is brown.
Distribution and Habitat
Naucoria escharioides grows under alder trees, with which it forms a mycorrhizal association, and is often found around wetlands where alders commonly grow.
Observation records show a strong seasonal pattern, with sightings rising sharply through summer and peaking in late summer before tapering off through autumn and into winter, suggesting this is the main period when fruiting bodies appear above ground.
Fun Facts
- The species has been known under several names over time, including Alnicola escharoides and Hylophila escharioides, reflecting shifts in how mycologists have classified it.
- It is placed in the family Hymenogastraceae, within the order Agaricales and class Agaricomycetes, sharing this broad classification with many other gilled mushrooms.
Photos
Photographs from via iNaturalist, licensed under CC0 1.0., by jerryn via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Michel Langeveld via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by seren_y_bore via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Igor Balashov via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by ionafraser via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Enrico Tomschke via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Trevor Van Loon via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Mandy Hackney via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., and by Jerry Cooper via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., credited on each photo.
Ecology and classification
Classification
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Agaricales
- Family
- Hymenogastraceae
- Genus
- Naucoria
- Species
- Naucoria escharioides
Sources
- GBIF Species names and classification
- iNaturalist Photos
- Wikidata Common names and conservation status
- Wikipedia Summary extract
