Russula fellea

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Russula fellea
Russ.fell.jpg
Scientific classification
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R. fellea
Binomial name
Russula fellea
(Fr.) Fr.
Russula fellea
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Mycological characteristics
Gills icon.pnggills on hymenium
Convex cap icon.svgFlat cap icon.svg cap is convex or flat
Adnexed gills icon2.svg hymenium is adnexed
Bare stipe icon.svg stipe is bare
White spore print icon.png spore print is white
Mycomorphbox Inedible.pngedibility: inedible

The mushroom Russula fellea goes by the common name of the geranium-scented russula, or bitter russule and is a member of the genus Russula , all of which are commonly known as brittlegills. It is straw or honey coloured and in Britain grows in beech woods during autumn. It is inedible.

Mushroom fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source

A mushroom, or toadstool, is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source.

In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; this kind of name is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism, which is Latinized. A common name is sometimes frequently used, but that is by no means always the case.

<i>Russula</i> genus of fungi

Around 750 worldwide species of ectomycorrhizal 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. Their distinguishing characteristics include usually brightly coloured caps, a white to dark yellow spore print, brittle, attached gills, an absence of latex, and absence of partial veil or volva tissue on the stem. Microscopically, the genus is characterised by the amyloid ornamented spores and flesh (trama) composed of spherocysts. Members of the related genus Lactarius have similar characteristics but emit a milky latex when their gills are broken. The genus was described by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1796.

Contents

Taxonomy

It was first described and named in 1821 by the Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries, initially as Agaricus felleus, before being placed in the genus Russula in 1838. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective felleus meaning "biliary", in reference to its bitter taste, reminiscent of bile.

Elias Magnus Fries Swedish biologist (1794-1878)

Elias Magnus Fries FRS FRSE FLS RAS was a Swedish mycologist and botanist.

Latin Indo-European language of the Italic family

Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Latin alphabet is derived from the Etruscan and Greek alphabets, and ultimately from the Phoenician alphabet.

Bile fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the process of digestion.

Bile or gall is a dark green to yellowish brown fluid, produced by the liver of most vertebrates, that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver, and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder. After eating, this stored bile is discharged into the duodenum. The composition of hepatic bile is 97% water, 0.7% bile salts, 0.2% bilirubin, 0.51% fats, and 200 meq/l inorganic salts.

Description

The cap is usually 4–9 cm wide, and convex, flattening later, and often with a broad central boss (umbo). It is sometimes furrowed at the margin when mature. The similarly coloured, but paler stipe is firm and stout, and is 2–6 cm high by 1–2 cm wide. The gills are adnexed, and are the same colour as the stem, giving a spore print that is white to pale cream. The flesh is white, and does not change colour on cutting. It tastes hot, [1] and often has a bitter tang. The smell is variously reported to resemble geraniums, [1] or apple sauce. [2]

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 (hymenophore) may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus. A pileus is characteristic of agarics, boletes, some polypores, tooth fungi, and some ascomycetes.

Umbo (mycology)

An umbo is a raised area in the center of a mushroom cap. Caps that possess this feature are called umbonate. Umbos that are sharply pointed are called acute, while those that are more rounded are broadly umbonate. If the umbo is elongated, it is cuspidate, and if the umbo is sharply delineated but not elongated, it is called mammilate or papillate.

Stipe (mycology) stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom

In mycology, a stipe is 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 tissue. In many instances, however, the fertile hymenium extends down the stipe some distance. Fungi that have stipes are said to be stipitate.

Distribution and habitat

Russula fellea appears in autumn, and is found with beech ( Fagus ) in Britain, but in Europe it sometimes occurs with spruce ( Picea ). It is normally associated with well-drained acid soils, and is widespread in the northern temperate zones; Britain; Europe, and Asia. It is not present in North America where it is replaced by the closely related R.simillima . [3] It grows in deciduous and coniferous woods, and forests.

Beech genus of plants

Beech (Fagus) is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America.

Europe Continent in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere

Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia.

Great Britain island in the North Atlantic off the north-west coast of continental Europe

Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world. In 2011, Great Britain had a population of about 61 million people, making it the world's third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan. The island of Ireland is situated to the west of Great Britain, and together these islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands, form the British Isles archipelago.

Edibility

This mushroom is inedible, having a very hot bitter taste. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Russula emetica</i> Species of fungus in the family Russulaceae with a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere

Russula emetica, commonly known as the sickener, emetic russula, or vomiting russula, is a basidiomycete mushroom, and the type species of the genus Russula. It has a red, convex to flat cap up to 8.5 cm (3.3 in) in diameter, with a cuticle that can be peeled off almost to the centre. The gills are white to pale cream, and closely spaced. A smooth white stem measures up to 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and 2.4 cm (0.9 in) thick. First described in 1774, the mushroom has a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, where it grows on the ground in damp woodlands in a mycorrhizal association with conifers, especially pine.

<i>Russula xerampelina</i> species of fungus

Russula xerampelina, also commonly known as the crab brittlegill or the shrimp mushroom, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the brittlegill genus Russula. Two subspecies are recognised. The fruiting bodies appear in coniferous woodlands in autumn in northern Europe and North America. Their caps are coloured various shades of wine-red, purple to green. Mild tasting and edible, it is one of the most highly regarded brittlegills for the table. It is also notable for smelling of shellfish or crab when fresh.

<i>Russula nobilis</i> basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Russula

Formerly Russula mairei (Singer), and commonly known as the beechwood sickener, the now re-classified fungus Russula nobilis (Velen.) is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Russula. This group of mushrooms are noted for their brittle gills and bright colours.

<i>Tylopilus felleus</i> Species of fungus of the boletaceae family from east Asia, Europe, and eastern North America, to Central America

Tylopilus felleus, commonly known as the bitter bolete or the bitter tylopilus, is a fungus of the bolete family. Its distribution includes east Asia, Europe, and eastern North America, extending south into Mexico and Central America. A mycorrhizal species, it grows in deciduous and coniferous woodland, often fruiting under beech and oak. Its fruit bodies have convex to flat caps that are some shade of brown, buff, or tan, and typically measure up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter. The pore surface is initially white before turning pinkish with age. Like most boletes it lacks a ring, and it may be distinguished from Boletus edulis and other similar species by its unusual pink pores and the prominent dark brown netlike pattern on its stalk.

<i>Caloboletus radicans</i> species of fungus

Caloboletus radicans, also known as the rooting bolete or whitish bolete, is a large, rare ectomycorrhizal fungus found in Europe under deciduous trees in summer and autumn. It has a pale buff or white cap, yellow pores and a stout stipe, and stains blue when bruised or cut. Bitter and inedible, it can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea when eaten. Until 2014 it was known as Boletus radicans.

<i>Russula sardonia</i> species of fungus

Russula sardonia, commonly known as the primrose brittlegill, is a mushroom of the genus Russula, which are commonly known as brittlegills. The fruiting body, or mushroom, is a reddish-purple, the colour of blackberry juice, and is found in coniferous woodland in summer and autumn. It is inedible, and like many inedible members of the genus, has a hot, peppery taste.

<i>Russula sanguinaria</i> species of fungus

Russula sanguinaria, commonly known as the bloody brittlegill, is a strikingly coloured mushroom of the genus Russula, which has the common name of brittlegills. It is bright blood-red, inedible, and grows in association with coniferous trees. It was previously widely known as Russula sanguinea.

<i>Russula betularum</i> species of fungus

Russula betularum is a small, very pale member of the Russula (brittlegills) genus of mushrooms. It is usually white to very pale pink, inedible, and grows with birch trees. It is commonly known as the birch brittlegill.

<i>Russula aurea</i> species of fungus

Russula aurea, commonly known as the gilded brittlegill, is an uncommon species of mushroom found in deciduous woodland in Europe in summer and early autumn. Unlike many red-capped members of the genus, it is edible and mild-tasting.

<i>Russula caerulea</i> species of fungus

Russula caerulea, commonly known as the humpback brittlegill, is a member of the genus Russula, whose members are also known as brittlegills. It is a dark vinaceous or purple-colored edible mushroom, and grows with coniferous trees in late summer and autumn. It is found in Europe and North America.

<i>Calocybe carnea</i> species of fungus

Calocybe carnea is a small pink-capped mushroom with white gills that can be found in grassy meadows, fields, or on lawns from spring to autumn in Europe and North America. Its common names include pink fairhead and pink domecap.

<i>Russula atropurpurea</i> species of fungus

Russula atropurpurea is an edible member of the Russula genus, that have the common name of brittlegills. It is dark vinaceous or purple, and grows with deciduous, or occasionally coniferous trees. It is commonly called the blackish purple Russula, or the purple brittlegill.

<i>Russula delica</i> species of fungus

Russula delica is a mushroom that goes by the common name of milk-white brittlegill, and is a member of the genus Russula, all of which are collectively known as brittlegills. It is mostly white, with ochraceous or brownish cap markings, and a short robust stem. It is edible, but poor in taste, and grows in coniferous, broadleaved, or mixed woods. It can be confused with other white Russula species and certain white Lactarius species.

<i>Lactarius tabidus</i> species of fungus

Lactarius tabidus, commonly known as the Birch Milkcap, is an inedible mushroom of the genus Lactarius. It can be found in North America and Europe, and grows at the base of pine in Autumn. Its white milk stains fabric a sulphur yellow, from which its specific epithet derives.

<i>Lactarius vietus</i> species of fungus

Lactarius vietus is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae, first described by Elias Magnus Fries. It produces moderately sized and brittle mushrooms, which grow on the forest floor or on rotting wood. The flattened-convex cap can vary in shape, sometimes forming the shape of a wide funnel. It is typically grey, but the colour varies. The species has crowded, light-coloured gills, which produce white milk. The spore print is typically whitish, but also varies considerably. The mushrooms typically have a strong, acrid taste and have been described as inedible, but other authors have described them as consumable after boiling. L. vietus feeds by forming an ectomycorrhizal relationship with surrounding trees, and it favours birch. It grows in autumn months and is fairly common in Europe, North America and eastern Asia.

<i>Russula fragilis</i> species of fungus

The inedible wild mushroom Russula fragilis, which goes by the common name of the fragile brittlegill, is a member of the genus Russula, whose members are commonly known as brittlegills. It is a small, fragile, long stemmed, and variably coloured brittlegill, found in mixed forests, and woods in Europe, Asia, and North America.

<i>Russula gracillima</i> species of fungus

The mushroom Russula gracillima, commonly known as the slender brittlegill, is a member of the Russula genus, whose members are commonly known as brittlegills. It is a small, pale, long stemmed brittlegill associated mainly with birch and is occasional in Europe, Asia, and North America.

<i>Russula albidula</i> species of fungus

Russula albidula is a species of mushroom in the genus Russula. The species, known in the vernacular as the boring white russula or the whitish brittlegill, is nondescript, with a small or medium dirty white fruit body, and a highly acrid taste. It is found in eastern North America.

<i>Russula rosea</i> species of fungus

Russula rosea, known as the rosy russula, is a north temperate, some consider it edible other inedible, commonly found mushroom of the large "brittlegill" genus Russula.

<i>Tricholoma portentosum</i> species of fungus

Tricholoma portentosum, commonly known as the charbonnier, or sooty head in North America, is a grey-capped edible mushroom of the large genus Tricholoma. It is found in woodlands in Europe and North America.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roger Phillips (2006). Mushrooms. Pan MacMillan. p. 42. ISBN   0-330-44237-6.
  2. Lamaison, Jean-Louis; Polese, Jean-Marie (2005). The Great Encyclopedia of Mushrooms. Könemann. p. 41. ISBN   3-8331-1239-5.
  3. Thomas Laessoe (1998). Mushrooms (flexi bound). Dorling Kindersley. ISBN   0-7513-1070-0.