Russula brevipes

[ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Russula . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This common and widely distributed Russula is initially whitish, but it soon develops tan or brownish shades--though it often remains fairly pale overall. The gills typically bruise brownish, and the stem is often (though not always) fairly short in proportion to the cap. It is a sturdy and compact species with a mild or slightly acrid taste (though one variety is more strongly acrid; see the comments below).

I find Russula brevipes most frequently in mixed woods with sandy soil, in northern Michigan, where I have seen fruitings in the hundreds. Lactarius deceptivus is often growing alongside Russula brevipes, and separating the two species at a glance can be all but impossible. However, Lactarius species produce drops of milk when injured, making it easy to distinguish the two species with a pocket knife. I might add, however, that one tires of this fairly quickly ("That's a Russula, that's a Lactarius, that's a Russula . . ."), especially if there are other, more interesting mushrooms around.

Russula brevipes is probably edible, but I don't recommend it. Edibility is not recorded for its varieties (see below), and it bears a superficial resemblance to some Lactarius species that are listed as inedible or even poisonous by some authors (though I doubt these Lactarii are truly poisonous; see my comments on Lactarius deceptivus for the whole story). Russula brevipes is by all accounts a mediocre dining experience, anyway, so it is probably best avoided.

Russula brevipes is a frequent host to the parasite Hypomyces lactifluorum, better known as the "Lobster Mushroom," but I don't recommend picking the Lobster Mushroom for the table when you can't be sure of its host's identity (which is usually the case).

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods and conifers; common; widely distributed; summer and fall, November and December in California.

Cap: 9-20 cm; convex with a central depression and an inrolled margin when young, later broadly convex with a central depression, the margin remaining somewhat inrolled or straightening; dry; smooth or minutely felty/scruffy, sometimes becoming cracked in age; the cap "skin" not peeling easily; the margin not lined; white at first, developing brownish discolorations.

Gills: Attached to the stem or running down it slightly; crowded or close; white at first, later creamy to pale yellow; spotting and discoloring brownish.

Stem: 3-8 cm long; 2.5-4 cm thick; sturdy and solid; more or less equal; dry; smooth; whitish; discoloring and bruising brownish.

Flesh: White; sometimes discoloring brownish.

Taste: Mild or slightly acrid odor not distinctive or faintly foul.

Spore Print: White to buff.

Microscopic Features: Spores 8-11 x 6.5-8.5 µ; broadly elliptical to nearly round; ornamented with warts .5-2 µ high; with amyloid ridges that almost always form a complete or partial reticulum.

REFERENCES: Peck, 1890. (Kauffman, 1918; Shaffer, 1964; Arora, 1986; Kibby & Fatto, 1990; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992.) Herb. Kuo 09059507, 07300303.

Russula brevipes var. megaspora is recorded from California; it differs in spore size (9-14 x 8-12 µ). See also Russula brevipes var. acrior and Russula delica, to the right.

Further Online Information:

Russula brevipes at MykoWeb
Russula brevipes at Roger's Mushrooms
Russula delica at Roger's Mushrooms

Differs from Russula brevipes as follows:

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2004, November). Russula brevipes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/russula_brevipes.html