Russula cremoricolor

Russula cremoricolor
Russula cremoricolor, San Mateo County, California, 2019
Pink morph, Shasta National Forest, 2018
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Russulales
Family:	Russulaceae
Genus:	Russula
Species:	R. cremoricolor
Binomial name
Russula cremoricolor Earle (1902)

Russula cremoricolor Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex or depressed
	Hymenium is adnexed or adnate
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white
	Edibility is poisonous

Russula cremoricolor, also known as the winter russula, is a species of gilled mushroom. ^[1] It is mildly toxic.

Taxonomy

The red variant was previously identified as Russula silvicola , ^{[2] [3]} but was found to be genetically identical to the cream-colored R. cremoricolor. ^[4]

Description

This mushroom has red, cream-yellow, and pink color variants, which complicates attempts at field identification. ^{[2] [3]}

Similar species

R. californiensis is similar, but R. cremoricolor keeps its gills and stipe white even in age, has a sharper taste, and associates with mixed forest or tanoak rather than pine. ^[4]

Habitat

The species can be found growing in groups. ^[4]

Toxicity

The species is mildly toxic, ^[4] causing intestinal distress even when consumed in small amounts. ^[2] Its acrid taste is also a deterrent. ^[5]

See also

• List of Russula species
• Russula emetica

References

1. "Winter Russula (Russula cremoricolor)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
2. Davis; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. California Natural History Guides Vol. 106. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 107–108. doi:10.1525/9780520953604. ISBN   9780520953604. JSTOR   10.1525/j.ctt1pn688. LCCN   2011037103. OCLC   797915861. S2CID   132384894.
3. Desjardin, Dennis E.; Wood, Michael G.; Stevens, Frederick A. (6 June 2016). California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Timber Press. pp. 63–64. ISBN   978-1-60469-660-8. LCCN   2014000925. OCLC   951644583.
4. Siegel, Noah; Schwarz, Christian (2016). Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. p. 229. ISBN   9781607748182. LCCN   2015027853. OCLC   956478776.
5. Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. p. 97. ISBN   978-0-89815-170-1.