59 
The genus contains some of the best edible mushrooms and others 
which are extremely poisonous, and, on account of the extreme varia¬ 
bility of color, they often resemble each other so closely that the ama¬ 
teur must depend eutirely upon taste in selecting the esculent ones. 
Taste a piece of the stem of each plant as gathered and reject all not 
having a mild and pleasing flavor, as all the known noxious species are 
acrid or unpleasant. Be sure that your plant is a Russula , as this rule 
is not universal and must not be applied to mushrooms in general. The 
application of this method will enable the novice to enjoy some of the 
best viands in this class. 
“I. Compacts ( compingo , to put together; compact). Pileus fleshy 
throughout, hence the margin is at first bent inwards and always with¬ 
out striae, without a distinct viscous pellicle (in consequence of which 
the color is not variable, but only changes with age and the state of the 
atmosphere). Flesh compact, firm. Stem solid, fleshy. Gills unequal. 
“II. Furcate ( furca , a fork. With forked gills). Pileus compact, 
firm, covered with a thin, closely adnate pellicle, which at length disap¬ 
pears, margin abruptly thin, at first indexed, then spreading, acute, 
even. Stem at first compact, at length spongy-soft within. Gills some- 
ivhat forked , with a few shorter ones intermixed, commonly attenuated 
at both ends, thin and normally narrow. 
“III. Rigid m ( rigidus , rigid). Pileus without a viscid pellicle, abso¬ 
lutely dry , rigid , the cuticle commonly breaking up into flocci or granules. 
Flesh thick, compact, firm, vanishing away short of the margin, which 
is straight (never involute), soon spreading, and always without striw. 
Stem solid, at first hard, then softer and spongy. Gills, a few dimidiate, 
others divided, rigid, dilated in front and running out with a very broad 
rounded apex, whence the margin of the pileus becomes obtuse and is 
not inflexed. Exceedingly handsome but rather rare. 
“IV. Heteropiiyllas ( R . heterophylla , the typical species of the 
section). Pileus fleshy, firm, with a thin margin, which is at first in¬ 
ti exed, then expanded and striate, covered with a thin, adnate pellicle. 
The gills consist of many shorter ones mixed with longer ones along with 
others which are forked. Stem solid, stout, spongy within. 
“ V. Fragiles ( fragilis , fragile or brittle). Pileus more or less fleshy, 
rigid-fragile, covered with a pellicle which is always continuous and in 
wet weather viscid and somewhat separable; margin membranaceous, 
at first convergent and not involute, in full grown plants commonly 
sulcate and tubercular. Flesh commonly floccose, lax friable. Stem 
spongy, at length wholly soft and hollow. Gills almost all equal, sim¬ 
ple, broadening in front, free in the pileus when closed. Several doubt¬ 
ful forms occur. R. integra is specially fallacious from the variety of 
its colors. 
“ * Cill8 and spores white. 
“ * * Gills and spores white, then light-yellowish or bright lemon-yellow, 
“ * * * Grills and spores ochraceous.”— Stevenson. 
