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Marasmius oreades

Marasmius oreades

9.9
A small edible mushroom that grows in grass in round groups called the fairy ring mushroom
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Marasmius oreades
  • The Marasmius oreades is often found growing in circles on lawns and meadows.

Examples

  • Many foragers prize Marasmius oreades for its delicate, nutty flavor.

  • Be sure to correctly identify Marasmius oreades before harvesting it for cooking.

  • I found some Marasmius oreades in the park.

  • Have you ever cooked Marasmius oreades?

  • Many foragers prize Marasmius oreades for its delicate, nutty flavor.

  • Be sure to correctly identify Marasmius oreades before harvesting it for cooking.

  • The Marasmius oreades is often found growing in circles on lawns and meadows.

Synonyms

fairy-ring mushroom
vsMarasmius oreades
8.4

A mushroom that grows in a circle on grass

is the alternative name for the same small edible mushroom found in fairy rings

Surface Forms

Morphology

Marasmius + oreades

This is a Latin scientific binomial rather than an English phrase: 'Marasmius' is a taxonomic genus and 'oreades' is not an English word, so there is no compositional meaning accessible to learners. A B1 learner who knows English vocabulary but not taxonomic Latin would not be able to derive the specific sense 'fairy ring mushroom' from these constituents, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Marasmius oreades gets its name from the mushroom's habit of growing in neat circles on grass and from old stories about dancing spirits. The part oreades refers to 'Oreads', mountain nymphs, and that circle image is why people call it the 'fairy ring mushroom'.