Brittlegills

Russula is a very common, very widespread, and very large genus of gilled mushrooms called brittlegills. It occurs on every continent, including Antarctica. There are about 750 Russula species worldwide. About 200 species have been reported in the United States, and at least 44 species have been recorded in Minnesota.

Brittlegills are usually found in woodlands but can also be found at the edges of pastures, in shrubby areas, and even on lawns near trees. They have a mutually beneficial relationship with trees and other woody plants. The fungus forms a highly-branched network around but into the cells of the host plant roots that helps the roots take up water and minerals and survive unfavorable conditions. In exchange, the fungus gets access to carbohydrates.

Brittlegills are mostly large and are often brightly colored. Mature fruiting bodies have a flat or depressed cap that is often wider than the stem is long. The stem is straight, not bulbous at the base. The flesh is usually white. The gills are white when young but may yellow with age. The fruiting body is rigid and the flesh is dry or granular. The stem, cap, and gills are all dry, rigid, and brittle. This is the feature that gives the genus its common name. The stem on many species will snap cleanly and audibly like a piece of chalk.

With experience, it is often easy to identify a mushroom in the Russula genus by appearance alone. However, fewer than three dozen are easily identified to the species level. Identifying the others requires a microscope and chemical compounds. For this reason, mushroomers sometimes disparagingly refer to them as JARs, “Just Another Russula."

Sources

4, 7, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

Location: Cass County