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19-467: Because of the thin soil mantle and high pH levels, a great assortment of vegetation is found including numerous rare species . Stora Alvaret is not devoid of trees, contrary to a common misconception; in fact, it holds a variety of sparse stunted trees akin to a pygmy forest . Stora Alvaret falls within UNESCO 's Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland , 56,323 hectares (217.46 sq mi), which

38-450: A subsection of Agaricus and in 1871 was raised to the rank of genus by Kummer . In several papers, Karsten and Murrill used the name Hydrocybe , but this is now taken as an orthographic variant of Hygrocybe . The generic name is derived from the Greek ῦγρὁς (= moist) + κυβη (= head). Despite its comparatively early publication, the genus Hygrocybe was not widely accepted until

57-748: Is a genus of agarics (gilled fungi) in the family Hygrophoraceae . Called waxcaps in English (sometimes waxy caps in North America), basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are often brightly coloured and have dry to waxy caps , white spores , and smooth, ringless stems . In Europe they are characteristic of old, unimproved grasslands (termed waxcap grasslands ) which are a declining habitat, making many Hygrocybe species of conservation concern. Four of these waxcap-grassland species, Hygrocybe citrinovirens , H. punicea , H. spadicea , and H. splendidissima , are assessed as globally "vulnerable" on

76-695: Is cultivated commercially. Fruit bodies of a few species are considered edible in eastern Europe, south-east Asia, and Central America and are collected and consumed locally. No comprehensive monograph of the genus has yet been published. In Europe , however, species of Hygrocybe have been illustrated and described in a standard English-language guide by Boertmann (2010) and also (together with Hygrophorus ) in an Italian guide by Candusso (1997). European species have also been covered, more briefly, in descriptive French keys by Bon (1990). Dutch species were illustrated and described by Arnolds (1990). No equivalent modern guides have been published for North America ,

95-476: The 1970s, most previous authors treating it as a synonym of Hygrophorus , a related genus of ectomycorrhizal agarics. Recent molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences , has shown that Hygrocybe sensu lato is paraphyletic and does not form a single clade within the Hygrophoraceae. As a result, many species formerly referred to Hygrocybe have been transferred to

114-725: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Elsewhere, several rare and localized endemic species are assessed as globally "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They include Hygrocybe boothii in Australia, Hygrocybe noelokelani and Hygrocybe pakelo in Hawaii, Hygrocybe striatella in Chile, and Hygrocybe flavifolia in California. Because Hygrocybe species cannot be maintained in culture , none

133-419: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Elsewhere waxcaps are more typically found in woodlands. Most are ground-dwelling and all are believed to be biotrophs . Around 150 species are recognized worldwide. Fruit bodies of several Hygrocybe species are considered edible and are sometimes offered for sale in local markets. Hygrocybe was first published in 1821 by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries as

152-547: The alvar here is known for its severely dry conditions, there are some seasonal wetlands and vernal pools , notably the vestigial lagoon area northwest of the village of Alby. Stora Alvaret is bounded on the east, west and south by the perimeter public two-lane highway which circumnavigates the entire island. At several latitudes there are less improved roadways that run east-west and intrude directly through Stora Alvaret. Small villages such as Stora Vickleby, Gettlinge, Grönhögen, Hulterstad, Alby, Triberga and Vället lie at

171-665: The deepest) was formed by plant colonisation of the bare limestone and some wind driven deposition, to create the alvar formation of the present. In many places the limestone has no soil whatsoever upon it. The best known early paleolithic settlement occurs at Alby , situated on the east coast of the island, where excavations have revealed vestiges of wooden huts around a prehistoric lagoon . Artefacts retrieved include evidence of bear , marten , seal and porpoise , but also reveal hunting and gathering technologies through discovery of bone spears , elk antler harpoons and flint . Evidence of later ringforts abounds including

190-660: The fringe of Stora Alvaret along the perimeter highway. There are fewer and smaller villages within the alvar expanse itself: Möckelmossen, Solberga and Flisås, for example. Some of the old villages are totally deserted such as Dröstorp. At the extreme south end of Stora Alvaret lies Ottenby , a historic royal game farm and now a nature reserve . 56°28′01″N 16°33′00″E  /  56.467°N 16.550°E  / 56.467; 16.550 PH">pH The requested page title contains unsupported characters : ">". Return to Main Page . Hygrocybe Hygrocybe

209-453: The fringe of Stora Alvaret. The first documented scientific study of the biota of Stora Alvaret occurred in the year 1741 with the visit of Linnaeus . He wrote of this unusual ecosystem: "It is noteworthy how some plants are able to thrive on the driest and most barren places of the alvar". Some relict species from the glacial age are among the flora palette of Stora Alvaret. A wide variety of wildflowers and other plants are found on

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228-550: The genera Chromosera , Cuphophyllus , Gliophorus , Gloioxanthomyces , Humidicutis , Neohygrocybe , or Porpolomopsis . This leaves Hygrocybe sensu stricto as a smaller but more cohesive genus of species related to the type , Hygrocybe conica . Fruit bodies of Hygrocybe species are all agaricoid , most (but not all) having smooth to slightly scaly caps that are convex to conical and dry to waxy or viscid when damp. Many (but not all) are brightly coloured in shades of red, orange, or yellow. Where present,

247-835: The gills beneath the cap are often equally coloured and usually distant, thick, and waxy. One atypical South American species, Hygrocybe aphylla , lacks gills. The stems of Hygrocybe species lack a ring . The spore print is white. Fruit bodies of some species, notably Hygrocybe conica , blacken with age or when bruised. Microscopically, Hygrocybe species lack true cystidia and have comparatively large, smooth, inamyloid basidiospores . Species of Hygrocybe are soil-dwelling. In Europe, most species are typical of unimproved (nutrient-poor), short-sward grasslands, often termed " waxcap grasslands ", but elsewhere they are more commonly found in woodland. Their metabolism has long been debated, but recent research suggests that they are not saprotrophic but rather symbiotically associated with

266-503: The limestone pavement ecosystem. Some of the species found include stonecrop , dropwort , Artemisia oelandica ( endemic to Öland), Shrubby Cinquefoil , Common spotted orchid and kidney vetch . Most of these wildflowers bloom from May to July. Numerous grasses are found on this alvar including Meadow Oat-grass and Sheep's Fescue ; as would be expected from the occurrence of orchids, many fungi grow on Stora Alvaret such as Hygrocybe persistens and Lepiota alba . Although

285-677: The most well known site at Eketorp . In the Bronze Age and early part of the Iron Age , extreme pressure was exerted on the limited tree species growing on Stora Alvaret and its margins. Jannson suggests that this disappearance of trees caused a mysterious evaporation of humans about 500 AD which is documented at Eketorp and other sites. It is thought provoking to imagine that the expanded human population may have exceeded its carrying capacity of this place by about 500 AD. Later, about 800 to 1000 AD various Viking settlements appeared on

304-502: The present day structures on the island. Only as recently as 11,000 years ago did the first portions of the island of Öland emerge from the Baltic Sea , after the overpressure of the last glaciers was relieved by melting. Over the next several thousand years, more ice melted and the first wave of large mammals including humans migrated across the ice bridge from the mainland. Finally a thin soil mantle (only two centimetres at

323-417: The roots of higher plants or mosses. Hyphae of H. conica have been detected in plant roots. Species are distributed worldwide, from the tropics to the sub-polar regions. Around 150 have been described to date. Waxcaps receive most attention in northern Europe, where they are found in nutrient-poor pastures. However, outside Europe, waxcaps are more commonly associated with woodland habitats, for example

342-494: The sclerophyll forests site at Lane Cove Bushland Park and Ferndale Park , Sydney . In Europe, waxcap grasslands and their associated fungi are of conservation concern, since unimproved grasslands (formerly commonplace) have declined dramatically as a result of changes in agricultural practice. This decline has led to four European Hygrocybe species, Hygrocybe citrinovirens , H. punicea , H. spadicea , and H. splendidissima , being assessed as globally "vulnerable" on

361-481: Was designated World Heritage Site due to its extraordinary prehistory. The limestone plain was created by glacial action from earlier ice age advances. The limestone formation itself was created about 500 million years ago in more southerly seas. Gradually hardening into limestone and drifting northward, the limestone of Stora Alvaret contains a rich fossil record of some of the marine creatures who contributed to it. For example, orthoceratites are found in some of

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