Russula integra
Encyclopedia
Russula integra, commonly known
as The Entire Russula, is a species
of mushroom
. One of the huge genus of Russula
, it is found in conifer forests across Europe and North America. Mildly flavoured, it is edible and consumed in Central Europe.
is almost shaped like a sphere at first, and soon becomes flattened or depressed. The cuticle
is shiny, varies in color, but is usually brown and tinged with violet, purple, yellow, or green. The gills are think, widely-spaced, easily crumbled into small pieces, white at first and then turns bright yellow eventually. The stipe
is thick and white, but stains yellow or russet
with age. The flesh is white, very firm, and has a mild flavor. The spore print
is yellow-ochre
, broadly elliptical, and has amyloid
warts. The cap is 3 to 5 inches broad and the stipe is 1.5 to 2.5 inches long.
and tastes nutty. It is popular to eat in Northern
and Central Europe
. In Romanian
, the mushroom is called pâinişoară ("little bread") due to its edibility and perceived taste and texture. David Arora
said that the species is good when it is young. There are species with unknown edibility that look similar to this species. According to an 1878 study, poisoning from this species used to be frequent, but is now rare. The study concluded that long cooking gets rid of its poisonous properties, but that rapid culinary processes does not such as roasting. In a 1871 handbook, British mycologist Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
said that the flavor of the species is mild.
forests of fir
forests in the mountains. The species is rare in New York
and can be found there in August.
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 Entire Russula, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mushroom
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...
. One of the huge genus of 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...
, it is found in conifer forests across Europe and North America. Mildly flavoured, it is edible and consumed in Central Europe.
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...
is almost shaped like a sphere at first, and soon becomes flattened or depressed. The cuticle
Cuticle
A cuticle , or cuticula, is a term used for any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticles" are non-homologous; differing in their origin, structure, function, and chemical composition...
is shiny, varies in color, but is usually brown and tinged with violet, purple, yellow, or green. The gills are think, widely-spaced, easily crumbled into small pieces, white at first and then turns bright yellow eventually. 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 thick and white, but stains yellow or russet
Russet
Russet is a coarse woolen cloth of grey or brown.It may also refer to*Russet Burbank potato*Russet apple*Russet *Russeting treatment for metal...
with age. The flesh is white, very firm, and has a mild flavor. The spore print
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...
is yellow-ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
, broadly elliptical, and has amyloid
Amyloid
Amyloids are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates sharing specific structural traits. Abnormal accumulation of amyloid in organs may lead to amyloidosis, and may play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases.-Definition:...
warts. The cap is 3 to 5 inches broad and the stipe is 1.5 to 2.5 inches long.
Edibility
The authors of The Great Encyclopedia of Mushrooms said that the species has a crunchy textureTexture
Texture may refer to:* Textures , album of Brian Eno* Textures , a metal band from the Netherlands* Texture , theoretical topological defect in the structure of spacetime...
and tastes nutty. It is popular to eat in Northern
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. In Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, the mushroom is called pâinişoară ("little bread") due to its edibility and perceived taste and texture. 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.......
said that the species is good when it is young. There are species with unknown edibility that look similar to this species. According to an 1878 study, poisoning from this species used to be frequent, but is now rare. The study concluded that long cooking gets rid of its poisonous properties, but that rapid culinary processes does not such as roasting. In a 1871 handbook, British mycologist Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
Mordecai Cubitt Cooke was an English botanist and mycologist.Cooke came from a mercantile family in Horning, Norfolk, and worked as an apprentice to a fabric merchant before becoming a clerk in a law firm, but his chief interest was in botany. He founded the Society of Amateur Botanists in 1862...
said that the flavor of the species is mild.
Habitat
David Arora said that species is widely distributed and can commonly be found scattered under conifers. and the authors of The Great Encyclopedia of Mushrooms said that the species can commonly be found in spruceSpruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
forests of fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
forests in the mountains. The species is rare in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and can be found there in August.