Appalachian Mushrooms. Walter E. Sturgeon

       RUSSULA

      THIS MYCORRHIZAL GENUS is characterized by rather squat mushrooms, often with colorful caps. Most species have very brittle gills that crumble when scratched. Many mushrooms in this genus are red or orange. In Appalachia they lack a partial veil, and no volva is present. Stems tend to snap easily when broken. They are an important food source for a variety of animals, including squirrels, box turtles, and slugs. The species in this genus are common in summer and early fall. There are many species, and no current monograph is available. The Russula species included in this book can be easily identified without a microscope; however, most Russula species require a microscope for identification. Future DNA study will likely reveal many more look-alike species. For those with a microscope and a serious interest in identifying Russula species, the following observations are useful.

      Make a collection of young and old mushrooms. Getting a heavy spore deposit and carefully noting the color is important. It will range from white, cream, yellow, or ochre. Gill color is useful, as is the presence or absence of gill forking. How far the cap cuticle peels is another relevant observation. Taste is also a useful identification feature. Lastly, observing color changes with the application of chemical reagents such as iron salts (FeSO₄) can help clinch the identification.

      Species are keyed out here into two groups: those with brittle gills and those with more elastic gills.

      Russula species

      Russula species

       Russula modesto

      Key to Russula

      Gills not brittle (determine by scratching; brittle gills will crumble)

      1. Gills quickly staining brown when rubbed: Russula compacta (p. 24)

      2. Cap with green or purple colors; gills forked toward the margin: Russula variata (p. 25)

      3. Gills thick, distant, and waxy: Russula earlei (p. 23)

      Gills brittle (determine by scratching; brittle gills will crumble)

      1. Cap purplish, with a whitish bloom at first; often mottled with yellow or green: Russula mariae (p. 32)

      2. Cap dark red, purplish red to blackish; often fruits early in the season: Russula vinacea (p. 33)

      3. Cap with patches of green coloration: Russula parvovirescens (p. 26)

      4. Cap yellowish brown; with granules or patches; odor of rancid cooking oil: Russula granulata (p. 28)

      5. Cap yellowish brown; lacking granules; odor of almond extract: Russula grata (p. 27)

      6. Cap yellow to whitish; stem with rows of yellow scales at the base: Russula ballouii (p. 29)

      7. Cap yellow, at times with orange or pink tints; stem bald to pruinose: Russula ochroleucoides (p. 30)

      8. Cap white; under conifers; very short stem: Russula brevipes (p. 34)

      9. Cap grayish buff to brown; gills pale pink to pinkish cinnamon Russula eccentrica (p. 31)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Russula earlei Peck

       SYNONYM: None

       COMMON NAME: Beeswax Russula

       FAMILY: Russulaceae

      CAP: Up to 4-1/2 in. wide; butterscotch yellow, at times with whitish splotches; convex to broadly convex, becoming nearly flat in age; surface slightly viscid when wet; coarse, irregularly pitted, waxy, and with a granular feel; not striate, or becoming faintly so in age; at times wrinkled

      FLESH: Whitish to pale yellow, unchanging when cut; waxy; odor not distinctive; taste mild, slightly bitter to slightly acrid

      GILLS: Whitish at first, later colored like the cap or slightly paler, at times with reddish-brown stains; attached to the stem; distant; broad; thick; not brittle; waxy; edges even; no partial veil

      STEM: Up to 3 in. long; white to yellowish, at times with reddish-brown stains; equal or tapering in either direction; surface dry, bald

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; scattered to gregarious in broadleaf and mixed woods, often in litter under oaks and beech; occasional to locally common

      EDIBILITY: Unknown

      COMMENTS: This is in a line of primitive Russula species. It is a coarse-textured mushroom that looks old even when fresh. The waxy texture resembles that of Hygrophorus and Cuphophyllus species. Compare with Cuphophyllus pratensis (not illustrated), which has decurrent gills and a white, unstaining stem.

       Russula earlei

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Russula compacta Frost

       SYNONYM: None

       COMMON NAME: Firm Russula

       FAMILY: Russulaceae

      CAP: Up to 6 in. wide; whitish to yellowish buff when young, becoming tan to rusty orange and eventually tawny brown; convex to broadly convex and finally nearly flat with a depressed center; slow to decay; surface slightly tacky, bald

      FLESH: White, discoloring to yellowish or reddish brown on exposure; thick, firm, brittle; odor fishy; taste unpleasant or slightly acrid

      GILLS: White, quickly staining reddish brown when rubbed; attached to the stem; close to crowded; not brittle; edges even; no partial veil

      STEM: Up to 4 in. long; whitish at first, soon with reddish-brown areas, staining brown when bruised; sturdy; equal; surface dry, smooth

      SPORE PRINT: White

      ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with oaks and other broadleaf and conifer trees; scattered to gregarious in humus or soil in broadleaf and mixed woods and parks; summer and fall; common

      EDIBILITY: Not recommended; reported as edible; the author has tried it and found it unpalatable

      COMMENTS: The nonbrittle gills, which rapidly stain brown when rubbed, and the fishy odor are key features. When abundant, the fishy odor can be detected while walking through an overripe patch of this mushroom. Lactifluus allardii (p.