odor. In the raw state it has a slightly harsh or astringent flavor, 
but all writers agree in classing it among the edible species. It 
has not the hot, biting flavor of the truly acrid species, and cannot 
be easily mistaken for any objectionable species. To my taste it 
is not high-flavored, but fairly good. 
XV. RUSSULAS, FAIRY-RING MUSHROOMS, CHAN- 
TARELLES AND VISCID BOLETI. 
In the genus Russula, the species are similar in size, shape and 
substance to those of the genus Lactarius, but the plants exude 
no milky or colored juice from wounds. The cap is often red, 
purple or rosy hued, a circumstance that seems to have suggested 
the generic name. The colored zones often seen on the cap in 
species of Lactarius are strangely absent in this genus. The ac- 
rid and mild flavors observed there are present here, and may be 
employed as a test of desirability. The species in many instances 
are difficult of separation in 
consequence of similarity and 
» variability in coloring. We 
” will introduce but a single ed- 
ible species, although several 
occur within our territory. 
The Greenish russula, Rus- 
sula virescens, is easily known 
from all others by its greenish 
or grayish-green warty cap. 
Russula virescens, Marasmius oreades. Green is a rare color among 
mushrooms, and when it does 
occur, it is not the clear green of flowering plants, but a dull, me- 
tallic green or grayish-green. In our plant the surface of the cap 
is dry, not viscid as in some related species, and is broken up into 
small warts. The gills are white or whitish, and gradually nar- 
rowed toward the stem. This is commonly shorter than the 
diameter of the cap, white and solid, or merely spongy in texture 
in the centre. The flesh is white and taste mild. The cap is two 
to four inches broad, the stem one to two inches long and half an 
inch or more thick. 
The Greenish mushroom grows in thin woods or groves, or in 
65 
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