Specimen #10: Reddish Capped Mushroom

Figure 1: Pink, striated cap

Figure 2: extremely white gills

Figure 3: Cap fading in color

Figure 4: specimen at South Chagrin Reservation, a darker red than the others

Name: Russula paludosa, Graying Russula
Family: Russulaceae
Collection Date: September 10, 2011, September 12, 2011
Habitat: In a yard near trees, on leaf litter
Location: Warren, OH and South Chagrin Reservation
Description: Somewhat small, caps very delicate and soft.  Darkening in the middle with age, underside of plieus very white.
Collector: Taylor Summerfield

Key used: Arora, David, 1986. Mushrooms Demystified, 2nd Edition, Ten Speed Press, New York, New York.
Key Steps: Key to the Major Groups of Fleshy Fungi
1. Spores produced on mother cells called basidia; fruiting body variously shaped (see pp.52-54)...Basidiomycotina, P.57


Key to Basidiomycetes:
1. Basidia and spores borne externally...2
2. Fruiting body not at first egglike with gelatinous interior, no slime covering fruiting body...Hymenomycetes, below

Key to Hymenomycetes:
1. No pores or tube mouths on underside of cap...3
3. Underside of cap radiating blades (gills)...Agaricales, below

Key to the Agaricales:
1. Spore frocibly discharged, hence a spore print obtainable...2

2. Spore print white to buff...3
3. No volva or warts present...4
4. Veil absent, or if present then gills normally attached to stalk...6
6. Gills platelike or bladelike...7
7. Gills not exuding a latex...8
8. Cap plane to depressed at maturity...Russulaceae, p. 63


Key to Russulaceae:
1. Latex absent...Russula, p. 83


Key to Russula:
1. Fruiting body not very large or hard, cap somewhat brightly colored...10
10. Fruiting body not firm...11
11. Cap not yellow-brown to straw color...12
12. Cap not typically with a blackish center...13
13. Flesh and stalk surface staining gray to ashy or black...14
14. Cap orange to red...16
16. Cap red to orange or coppery brown; flesh bruising gray...Russula decolorans group, p. 91
Russula Paludosa described as having a reddish cap


Links:
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/russula_decolorans.html
http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~6047~gid~~source~gallerydefault.asp
http://www.mushroomthejournal.com/greatlakesdata/Taxa/Russupalud961.html
http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/russula-paludosa.php