Danny’s DNA Discoveries – Russula
by Danny Miller
Crassotunicata
Russula pallescens
These next species have been separated out into a separate section from Ingratula, called Crassotunicata. This smaller, more slender mostly yellow species has whiter spores and gills than the preceding species. It’s more hot and less nauseating in its odor and taste. It’s a fairly rare species probably associated with conifers. This species and R. farinipes are very similar and both from Europe. Most people thought ours more closely matched R. farinipes and only Christine Roberts (that I know of) in her PhD dissertation thought correctly that ours was actually R. pallescens.
R. pallescens © Ben Woo
Russula crassotunicata
This is also in the separate section Ingratula II, sometimes called the Crassotunicatae after this species which was described from Washington under conifers. It may be found all over North America and also Japan. Easy to identify with its white colours that brown considerably with a unique thick, peelable gelatinous cap cuticle. Fairly common.
R. crassotunicata © Kit Scates Barnhart