Hygrophorus russula

Hygrophorus russula, commonly known as the pinkmottle woodwax, false russula and russula-like waxy cap,[2] is a fungus native to North America and Europe.[3]

Hygrophorus russula
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Basidiomycota
Class:
Agaricomycetes
Order:
Agaricales
Family:
Hygrophoraceae
Genus:
Hygrophorus
Species:
H. russula
Binomial name
Hygrophorus russula
Synonyms[1]
  • Agaricus russula Schaeff. (1774)

German naturalist Jacob Christian Schäffer described the species as Agaricus russula in 1774.[4] The species name is derived from its reddish coloration, reminiscent of members of the genus Russula.[5] French botanist Claude Casimir Gillet placed it in the genus Tricholoma in 1878, before American naturalist Calvin Henry Kauffman transferred it to Hygrophorus in 1918. Though Kauffman thought it resembled Tricholoma, he held that its waxy gills showed it to be better suited to the genus Hygrophorus.[5]

The fruit bodies, or mushrooms, can be abundant some years, especially after rainfall, sometimes appearing in arcs or fairy rings.[2] The cap is hemispherical before flattening out with age, though the cap margin remains inrolled. Reaching 5–12 cm (2–4 3⁄4 in) in diameter, it has a base colour of white or pink with streaks of pink, wine-red or purple. The cap surface is sticky when young. The firm flesh is pink or white and has no strong taste or smell. The crowded gills are decurrent. White when young, they become discoloured with pink and wine-red stains. The stipe is 3–8 cm (1 1⁄4–3 1⁄4 in) high and 1.5–3.5 cm (1⁄2–1 1⁄2 in) wide. The spore print is white, the smooth oval spores measuring 6–8 by 3–5 μm under the microscope.[6]

It can be distinguished from russulas by its non-brittle stipe.[7] The edible but poor Hygrophorus purpurascens is similar but has a veil and grows under conifers.[8]

In eastern North America, it appears under oak from August to October.[6] It is more common in the east of the continent than the west.[7]

It is regarded as a good edible.[2][6][9]

See also

References
  1. "Fungorum synonymy: Hygrophorus russula". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. Huffman DM (2008). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States (Bur Oak Guide). Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press. p. 85. ISBN 9781587297250.
  3. Bas C (1990). Flora Agaricina Neerlandica. 2. CRC Press. p. 121. ISBN 9789061919711.
  4. Schaeffer JC. (1774). Fungorum qui in Bavaria et Palatinatu Nascuntur Icones (in Latin). 1. p. 58.
  5. Kauffman CH (1918). The Agaricaceae of Michigan. Publications Mich. geol. biol. Surv., Biol. Ser. 5 26. Lansing, Michigan: Wynkoop, Hallenbeck Crawford Co. p. 185.
  6. Bessette A, Bessette AR, Fischer DW (1997). Mushrooms of Northeastern North America. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-8156-0388-7.
  7. Arora, D. (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. pp. 123–24. ISBN 0-89815-169-4.
  8. Roody WC. (2003). Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 143. ISBN 0-8131-9039-8.
  9. Phillips, Roger (2010) [2005]. Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
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