Purple-bloom Russula

(Russula mariae)

Conservation Status
Purple-bloom Russula
Photo by Kirk Nelson
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Purple-bloom Russula is a medium-sized brittlegill mushroom. It is common and widespread in deciduous and mixed woodlands and forests of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It is found from June through October, singly or in groups, on the ground near hardwoods, especially oaks. It obtains its nutrients from the rootlets of oak and other hardwood trees (mycorrhizal).

The cap is convex when young. As it ages it flattens and sometimes develops a shallow depression at the center. It is ¾ to 2 ¾ in diameter, sometimes larger. The color is variable. It is usually purple but may also be purplish-red, reddish, pinkish, olive, yellow, or brown. It is sometimes mottled with two or more of these shades. It is covered with a fine white powder (bloom) giving it a velvety or powdery appearance. The skin on at least the outer half of the cap peels away easily. On mature caps the margin is sometimes narrowly grooved (striate) near the margin.

The gills are white at first, turning cream-colored to pale yellow with age. They are closely spaced and are broadly to narrowly attached to the stalk. The margins are sometimes colored due to contact with the stalk when the mushroom was developing.

The stalk is ¾ to 3 long and to 1 in diameter. It is firm, fairly smooth, white, and often tinged with purple or red. The bottom is the same size or slightly wider than the top.

The flesh is thin, brittle, and white. It does not change color when sliced. It is edible but not pleasant.

The spore print is creamy white to pale yellow.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Hardwood and mixed forests and woodlands

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

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

 
  8/21/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common and widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains, uncommon im Minnesota.

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Division Basidiomycota (club fungi)  
  Subdivision Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)  
  Class Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)  
  Subclass Agaricomycetidae  
  Order Russulales  
  Family Russulaceae (milkcaps, brittlegills, and allies)  
 

Genus

Russula (brittlegills)  
  Subgenus Heterophyllidia  
  Subsection Amoeninae  
       
 

Synonyms

 
  Russula alachuana  
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Powdered Russula

Purple-bloom Russula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Mycorrhizal

A symbiotic, usually beneficial relationship between a fungus and the tiny rootlets of a plant, usually a tree.

 

Striate

Striped or grooved in parallel lines (striae).

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Honey Fae (Farah)

 
    Purple-bloom Russula   Purple-bloom Russula  
 

Kirk Nelson

 
 

Russula mariae, Lebanon Hills Regional Park

 
    Purple-bloom Russula      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

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Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this fungus.

 
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  Honey Fae (Farah)
9/2/2022

Location: Dakota County

Purple-bloom Russula

 
  dpcollyds
8/21/2022

Location: Hibbing, Mn

 
  Kirk Nelson
9/23/2017

Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Purple-bloom Russula

 
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 7/21/2018

Last Updated:

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