20150717 Genus Russula.

It is the time of the year when in my part of Southern Ontario woods explode with Russulas.This genus is very easy to recognize, even for the total beginner. In summary:

• mid-size, beautiful and colorful
• always terrestrial (growing on the ground, not on wood)
• white or yellowish gills and stalks
• stalks are of uniform width (there is no bulb at the bottom) 
• there is no ring
• older specimens frequently have almost funnel shaped cap 
• they are very brittle and crumble easily (hence common name "brittle gills")
• spore print is light

Here are several examples:

But when it comes to species, the problems start. Around 750 worldwide species of  mushrooms compose the genus Russula. It is extremely hard, even for very experienced person to confidently determine species. Variations of color within same species is great. Furthermore, the slugs, squirrels and mushroom flies love them, making finding untouched specimen almost impossible. If you overcome all this, it is very hard to transport specimens from the woods to your kitchen table. You usually end up with bunch of mushroom pieces.

For all this reasons I usually do not bother with picking his type of mushrooms.