Russula benwooii — Ben Woo's russula
Ben Woo's russula1, photograph by Benjamin Woo with permission from University of Washington, Burke Museum.
Ben Woo's russula6, photograph by Benjamin Woo with permission from University of Washington, Burke Museum.
Ben Woo's russula7, red-brown variant, photograph by Benjamin Woo with permission from University of Washington, Burke Museum.
Ben Woo's russula8, purple variant, photograph by Benjamin Woo with permission from University of Washington, Burke Museum.
Ben Woo's russula9, sketch of basidiospores by Benjamin Woo with permission from University of Washington, Burke Museum.
A firm, and stout mushroom with a matt cap surface.
Odour: Mild.
Taste: Usually mild, occasionally (~1 out of 5) somewhat spicy/acrid (taste and then spit out a pea-sized piece of the gills after holding it in your mouth for a moment).
Cap: 6.5–15 cm in diameter, starting out convex, and flattening out, but keeping a central depression, sometimes cracking from the margin inwards. Colours vary greatly, from black purple, via red-brown or orange-brown to yellow, tan, or even completely yellow-green. The surface may have irregular bumps that are noticeable to touch. When wet, the surface is somewhat viscid. Cap margins are slightly grooved (striate).
Gills: Close together, cream-coloured. Only with a few short gills between the long gills.
Stems: 6–14 cm long x 1 –2 cm wide, as long as the cap's width or longer, often somewhat club-shaped, widest at the base, and sold. The colour is white, often with a pink or vinaceous blush. The stem may turn brown when scratched.
Ring or veil: None.
Cup: None.
Spores: 9-9.5 x 6.5-7 µm, with isolated robust spines (see sketch above).
Habitat: On soil, in mature western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) or mixed coniferous forests. Ectomycorrhizal.
Geographical distribution: Throughout the Pacific northwest (Oregon, Washington) and BC.
Russula benwooii is often mistaken for a species in the complex of the shrimp russula, Russula xerampelina, but it is less likely to stain brown on the stem and it lacks the fishy or shrimp-like smell.
Treatment: Contact your regional Poison Control Centre if you or someone you know is ill after eating wild mushrooms. Poison Centres provide free, expert medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If possible, save the mushrooms or some of the leftover food containing the mushrooms to help confirm identification.
Poison Control:
British Columbia: 604-682-5050 or 1-800-567-8911.
United States (WA, OR, ID): 1-800-222-1222.