Substrate: grass

Spores: fall and winter

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Edibility: Edible when immature.

Edible when immature.

Fruiting body: round or slightly flattened, 1-4 cm in diameter, usually with a small patch of dirt (held together by fibers) at base. Outer layer or peridium (skin0 white, smooth, felty, or with small flattened scales, peeling away or shriveling up in age to reveal the smooth, apery inner layer which is blue-gray to purplish-brown or lead-colored in age and usually has a metallic luster; inner layer rupturing at the top to form a large circular "mouth." Spore mass: white and firm at first, then yellow-olive and mushy, finally powdery and olive-brown to deep chocolate-brown.

Sources: Arora, David. Mushrooms Demystified. Berkeley, Ten Speed Press, 1986.