34 
NOTES AND QUERIES ON RUSSULJE. 
part, of any form of Russula fragilis. What it was intended for 
we do not attempt to determine. Yellow is now represented by 
Russula citrina of Gillet. Violet by Russula violascens of Secretan, 
the ochraceous form, which seems to have been mild, and, therefore, 
not Russula fragilis at all, by R. fingibilis, Britz. The white is, of 
course, the Russula niveus of Persoon, and may be only an etiolate 
form, and then we have still left only the different shades of red, 
which now are held to constitute the species Russula fragilis. In 
its deepest tints it may verge on rosy scarlet, or crimson, but 
through all gradations of tints the tone remains the same, now and 
then spotted with bleached places, where exposed to strong light, 
and as decay commences the blanched cuticle turns yellowish, or 
foxy, not resulting from mutation of colour, but decay in the cells. 
Here, then, we have that variable species Russula fragilis simply 
reduced to a red species, subject to blanching and spotting by ex- 
posure to light, like as all the other bright species are liable to 
similar accidental change. 
Of Russula integra and Russula alutacea we will venture to say 
nothing at present, because up to now our opportunities have been 
few, and those chiefly in the direction of finding a well-defined limit 
between two such similar species. 
Russula cyanoxaniha appears to be one of our commonest species, 
and R. heterophylla one of the most uncommon, if the diagnosis of 
Fries is to be relied upon, and not tradition. Doubtless Russula 
cyanoxaniha does present in its extremes of intensity, and size, 
strange contrasts, but were the most sceptical to collect all the 
specimens possible during a whole day, until they numbered at 
least one hundred good sound specimens, as we have done in this 
current year, it is doubtful if their mind would ever be troubled 
with scepticism again in respect of this species. With a pileus 
from l^in. to near six inches in size, from the faintest blush of 
colour to the deepest tints, and yet unity in all such seeming 
variety. Intrinsically a margin with a rosy tone, more or less 
sobered with purple, a pale disc, and between the two a dark zone 
of dull indefinable mixture of neutral green with purple, and 
that is the type for all the specimens we can meet with of R. 
cyanoxaniha. The infinite variety being made up, not of any change 
of colours or their position, but simply of their greater or less 
intensity, the part occupied by the median zone being streaked in 
a radiate manner by darker lines, either quite smooth or palpably 
rugose. 
Some may remark that there is no difficulty in that species, but 
it is otherwise with R. heterophylla. And here it may only be 
individual opinion, and so must be rated just at what it is worth, 
but we think two forms of R. heterophylla may be recognized, keep- 
ing in mind the strict limit imposed by Fries of “ Lamellis angus- 
tissimis, confertissimis.” These two forms, both of which are un- 
common, correspond to the Russula heterophylla, Fries, for the 
greenish forms, and Russula heterophylla , Bulliard (t. 509, f. 0-), 
