14S THE AGARICACEAE OF MICHIGAN 



the flesh becoming ashy, equal or siibequal, spongy-stuffed, ob- 

 scurely reticulate-rivulose, rather fragile, 6-8 cm. long, 1-2 cm. thick. 

 SPORES yellowish, globose, echinulate, 8-9 micr. TASTE mild. 

 ODOR none. 



Solitary or scattered. In coniferous or mixed woods of northern 

 Michigan. July, August and September. Frequent. 



This mild, dull or pale yellow, rather large Russula, with fleshy 

 gills and stem becoming ashy when old, is quite easily recognized. 

 This is R. constans Karst. which name was pre-empted. It differs 

 from R. ochraleuca Fr. in the mild taste and unpolished pileus, etc. 

 Its habit is very similar to that of R. decolorans, but it rarely 

 reaches the same size and differs constantly by its yellow cap. 



125. Russula obscura llomell (Edible) 



PILEUS 4-7 cm. broad, rather pliant, convex then piano-de- 

 pressed, dull, dark 'blood-red, pileus sometimes blackish on disk, 

 thin, the pellicle continuous and separable, hardly viscid when 

 moist, siibpruinose when dry, even or slightly striate in age. 

 FLESH whitish, becoming ashy. GILLS white at first, then dingy 

 straw-color, moderately broad, narrowly adnate, close, mostly 

 forked at base, equal, interspaces sometimes venose. STEM white, 

 becoming ashy or blackish, rarely tinged red, subequal, 4-6 cm. long, 

 10-15 mm. thick, spongy-stuffed, rigid, soon soft, obscurely wrinkled. 

 SPORES pale ochraceous in mass. TASTE mild. ODOR none. 



Gregarious or scattered, in low Avoods of southern Michigan. July, 

 and August. 



It is found frequently around Stockholm. The examples pointed 

 out by Romell did not seem to possess such a blackish stem as some 

 of ours. This species does not remind me of R. decolorans, being a 

 more slender and smaller plant. It might be confused with R. 

 nigresccntipes Pk.. but tliat species is said to have white spores. 

 Romell (Hymen. Lapland, 1911) suggests that a better name for 

 this plant is R. vinosa Lindb. since the latter name was used by 

 Lindbladt in his Svampbok prior to the use of R. obscura. 



