MYCOLOGIA 



Vol. IV November, 1912 No. 6 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF FUNGI— XII 



William A. Murrill 



The figures on the accompanying plate^ were all drawn from 

 specimens collected in and near Bronx Park, New York City, and 

 represent a few of the many attractive and highly-colored species 

 included in the genus Russula. This very difficult genus is now 

 being monographed for North American Flora by Dr. Ger- 

 trude S. Burlingham, who has kindly determined for me the 

 species here figured. 



Most of the members of this genus are edible, and some of 

 them are particularly good, but they are usually scattered, are 

 fragile and perishable, become infested early with a variety of 

 insects, are eaten by squirrels and other animals, and resemble 

 one another so closely that it is advisable to go to the trouble 

 of tasting nearly every specimen before selecting it for the table. 

 There are no violently poisonous species known in this genus, 

 and if specimens have a mild taste and an agreeable odor they 

 are probably harmless, but it must always be remembered that it 

 is necessary to test each new species thoroughly before using it 

 in any quantity for food. The botanical characters of the genus 

 are not difficult to learn, and it may be distinguished from the 

 nearest related genus, Lactaria, by the absence of a milky juice 

 in the tissues of the sporophore. 



[Mycologia for September, 1912 (4: 231-287), was issued August 28, 1912] 

 ^ This plate should be numbered 76 instead of 74. 



289 



