Russula xantho

This 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.

Flesh 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

No latex
Cap usually brighter colored than Lactarius
Stalk usually white or tinged with color of cap

Cap entirely yellow or light brown

Not foul-smelling or smelling of marzipan,
but it may have a fruity or other kind of odor

Bright Yellow Russula     SubSection Cap clearly yellow to straw-colored, not yellowish brown

Links from Look-alikes Mild Red Russula     SubSection Taste mild

Russula xantho     R. L. Shaffer