Russula albidula
Encyclopedia
Russula albidula is a species of mushroom
in the Russula
genus. The species, known in the vernacular
as the boring white Russula or the whitish brittlegill, is nondescript, with a small or medium dirty white fruit body, and a highly acrid taste. It is found in eastern North America.
in 1898. Mycologist David Arora
, describing the fruit bodies as "plain, unprepossessing, [and] profoundly forgettable", calls the species the "boring white Russula". Another common name
is the "whitish brittlegill".
of the fruit body
is convex to almost flat, 2.5 to 10 cm (0.984251968503937 to 3.9 in) broad, with a white surface that becomes yellowish when dry. The cap surface is viscid when moist, and have a cuticle
that can be peeled off. The gills are white, equal, sometimes forking next to the stipe, and have an adnate or slightly decurrent
attachment to the stem. The stipe
is white, smooth, 2.5 to 6 cm (0.984251968503937 to 2.4 in) long and 0.8 to 2 cm (0.31496062992126 to 0.78740157480315 in) wide. The flesh
, which is fragile and white, has a very bitter taste. Specimens found in the field are typically dirty and dingy.
In deposit
, the spores
are pale yellow. Viewed microscopically, they are roughly spherical, thin-walled, and have dimensions of 6–7.5 by 7.5–10 µm
. The surface of the spores is marked by broken reticulations.
, R. anomala, and R. subalbidula. It may also be confused with white waxycaps (genus Hygrophorus
) or Tricholoma species.
trees. The species has a penchant for appearing in poor soil like that found on roadsides and along trails. Russula albidula is distributed in eastern North America.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
in the Russula
Russula
Around 750 worldwide species of mycorrhizal mushrooms compose the genus Russula. They are typically common, fairly large, and brightly colored - making them one of the most recognizable genera among mycologists and mushroom collectors...
genus. The species, known in the vernacular
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
as the boring white Russula or the whitish brittlegill, is nondescript, with a small or medium dirty white fruit body, and a highly acrid taste. It is found in eastern North America.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by the American mycologist Charles Horton PeckCharles Horton Peck
Charles Horton Peck, born March 30, 1833 in Sand Lake, New York, died 1917 in Albany, New York, was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries...
in 1898. Mycologist David Arora
David Arora
David Arora is an American mycologist, naturalist, and writer. He is the author of two popular books on mushroom identification, Mushrooms Demystified and All That the Rain Promises and More.......
, describing the fruit bodies as "plain, unprepossessing, [and] profoundly forgettable", calls the species the "boring white Russula". Another common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
is the "whitish brittlegill".
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
of the fruit body
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
is convex to almost flat, 2.5 to 10 cm (0.984251968503937 to 3.9 in) broad, with a white surface that becomes yellowish when dry. The cap surface is viscid when moist, and have a cuticle
Pileipellis
thumb|300px||right|The cuticle of some mushrooms, such as [[Russula mustelina]] shown here, can be peeled from the cap, and may be useful as an identification feature....
that can be peeled off. The gills are white, equal, sometimes forking next to the stipe, and have an adnate or slightly decurrent
Decurrent
Decurrent is a term used in botany and mycology to describe plant or fungal parts that extend downward.In botany, the term is most often applied to leaf blades that partly wrap or have wings around the stem or petiole and extend down along the stem...
attachment to the stem. The stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is white, smooth, 2.5 to 6 cm (0.984251968503937 to 2.4 in) long and 0.8 to 2 cm (0.31496062992126 to 0.78740157480315 in) wide. The flesh
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
, which is fragile and white, has a very bitter taste. Specimens found in the field are typically dirty and dingy.
In deposit
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
, the spores
Basidiospore
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. In grills under a cap of one common species in the phylum of...
are pale yellow. Viewed microscopically, they are roughly spherical, thin-walled, and have dimensions of 6–7.5 by 7.5–10 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. The surface of the spores is marked by broken reticulations.
Edibility
The highly acrid taste of Russula albidula is a deterrent to consumption, although it is not considered poisonous.Similar species
Other Russula species that bear a resemblance to R. albidula include R. albella, R. albidaRussula albida
Russula albida is a fungus said to be edible. It is found in North America under deciduous trees.- External links :*...
, R. anomala, and R. subalbidula. It may also be confused with white waxycaps (genus Hygrophorus
Hygrophorus
Hygrophorus is a genus of agarics in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called "woodwaxes" in the UK or "waxy caps" in North America, basidiocarps are typically fleshy, often with slimy caps and lamellae that are broadly attached to decurrent...
) or Tricholoma species.
Habitat and distribution
The fruit bodies of Russula albidula can be found growing solitary or grouped together on the ground in woods (both mixed and coniferous) or the edges of woods; specimens are often found near oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees. The species has a penchant for appearing in poor soil like that found on roadsides and along trails. Russula albidula is distributed in eastern North America.
External links
- R. albidula at Index FungorumIndex FungorumIndex Fungorum, an international project to index all formal names in the Fungi Kingdom. Somewhat comparable to the IPNI, but with more contributing institutions....
- Mushroom Hobby Several photos, including spores