| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Russula > Blushing |
|
Key to Blushing Russulas in North America [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Russula . . . ] by Michael Kuo The blushing ("rubescent," in Mycologese) species of Russula are fascinating mushrooms whose flesh turns pinkish or reddish on exposure to air. Often the mushroom's surfaces also bruise reddish, like the stem in the top illustration. Most of the blushing russulas subsequently become "blackening" russulas after a half hour or more. The page for Russula densifolia includes an illustration of this color change over time. Other species in the fungal world that blush include several species of Amanita (like Amanita rubescens and Amanita novinupta), many species of Leccinum (like Leccinum rugosiceps), the infamous Old Man of the Woods, and some forms or "ecotypes" of morels. I do not recommend any of the species below for the table. Some are probably edible, but Russula subnigricans is reported to be quite poisonous, and reports on edibility vary for many of the other species; some are evidently mildly poisonous to some people. Many of the species are hard to distinguish, even with a microscope. In short, they are best avoided. |
|
|
Russula decora > Exposed flesh remaining pinkish or reddish (perhaps becoming reddish brown); not subsequently blackening over time. (1/2) Russula eccentrica / Russula subnigricans > Flesh changing, after a reddish stage, to ashy or blackish within one hour. (2/2) ° Cap red, often mottled with paler areas; found under hardwoods in eastern North America. (1/4) ° Cap evenly dark red; found under conifers and in bogs in northeastern North America. (Note: this species does not always blush red before blackening.) (2/4) Russula vinosa / Russula obscura ° Cap purplish, with variable shades of yellow and green; found under conifers in the Pacific Northwest. (3/4) Russula occidentalis ° Not as above. (4/4) ~ Gills distant. (1/2) ~ Gills not distant. (2/2) * Spores rarely longer than 9 µ. (1/2) Note: These species typically blacken directly, without blushing, but are sometimes reported to discolor somewhat reddish first. Taste mild; habitat under conifers. (1/2) Russula adusta Taste acrid; habitat under hardwoods. (2/2) Russula michiganensis * Some spores regularly longer than 9 µ. (2/2) Note: If the choice below seems as silly to you as it does to me, don't blame the messenger! Deciding that your specimen's identity is "R. densifolia sensu lato" would be a good way to say, in Mycologese, "I'm not messing with that." Cap cuticle less than 150 µ thick. (1/2) Russula dissimulans Cap cuticle greater than 150 µ thick. (2/2) Phillips (1991) reports Russula seperina, a blushing European species, from northern New York state (p. 123). However, his photo does not match his description or European descriptions of Russula seperina (the cap in the photo is evenly straw yellow when it ought to be reddish purple). In constructing this key I referred to keys and species descriptions in Kauffman (1918), Shaffer (1962), Arora (1986), Phillips (1991), Hansen & Knudsen (1992), and Wood (2003). See the References Page for complete citations. Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2003, August). Key to Blushing Russulas in North America. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/russulas_rubescent.html © MushroomExpert.Com |