Key to Gilled Mushrooms KeyThis is a key to gilled mushrooms, that is, mushrooms having a definite cap with a fertile surface consisting of gills. The fruiting body usually also has a stem, although that may be lateral or absent (usually, then, the mushroom is growing from wood). You can use this key to identify mushrooms that you find.
Russulales SuborderFlesh without fibers, fracturing with the same sort of break as a piece of chalk
Spore and gill color limited to white, yellow, or ochre
Mycorrhizal: occuring only on the ground, and only when there are trees nearby
No ring or volva on stalk
All fleshy-stemmed mushrooms whose gills exude a latex when cut go here
Diagnosis
- No latex
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Cap usually brighter colored than Lactarius
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Stalk usually white or tinged with color of cap
Microscropic Characters
- Since my primary source for this taxon is Ray Fatto, I will be following his procedure of giving spore measurements of the spore ignoring the warts, and then the height of the warts
Narrow down your identification:
Green Russula Subgenus- Cap at least partially green or olive, with no purple coloration
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Try yellowish olive-capped specimens here first, before trying Yellow or Brown Russula
Purple Russula Subgenus- Cap with at least some purple, lilac, vinaceous or magenta coloring
Red Russula Subgenus- Cap red or pink, with perhaps some yellow or orange mixed in
White, Black or Deep Brown Russula Subgenus- Only cap colors white to cream or buff, or dark brown to black
Yellow to Brownish Russula Subgenus- Cap entirely yellow or light brown
