Russula brevipes | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Agaricomycetes |
Order: | Russulales |
Family: | Russulaceae |
Genus: | Russula |
Species: | R. brevipes
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Binomial name | |
Russula brevipes Peck (1890)
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Synonyms[2] | |
Russula brevipes | |
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Gills on hymenium | |
Cap is flat or infundibuliform | |
Hymenium is decurrent | |
Stipe is bare | |
Spore print is white | |
Ecology is mycorrhizal | |
Edibility is edible |
Russula brevipes is a species of mushroom commonly known as the short-stemmed russula or the stubby brittlegill. It is widespread in North America, and was reported from Pakistan in 2006. The fruit bodies are white and large, with convex to funnel-shaped caps measuring 7–30 cm (3–12 in) wide set atop a thick stipe up to 8 cm (3 in) long. The gills on the cap underside are closely spaced and sometimes have a faint bluish tint. Spores are roughly spherical, and have a network-like surface dotted with warts.
Fruiting from summer to autumn, the mushrooms often develop under masses of leaves or conifer needles in a mycorrhizal association with trees from several genera, including fir, spruce, Douglas-fir, and hemlock. Forms of the mushroom that develop a bluish band at the top of the stipe are sometimes referred to as variety acrior. Although edible, the mushrooms have a bland or bitter flavor. They become more palatable once parasitized by the ascomycete fungus Hypomyces lactifluorum, a bright orange mold that covers the fruit body and transforms them into lobster mushrooms.