Russula brevipes.
After Prof. Peck.
R. bre´vipes Pk.—brevis, short; pes, a foot. Pileus 3–5 in. broad, at first convex and umbilicate, then infundibuliform, dry, glabrous or slightly villose on the margin, white, sometimes varied with reddish-brown stains. Flesh whitish, taste mild, slowly becoming slightly acrid. Lamellæ thin, close, adnate or slightly rounded behind; white. Stem solid, white.
Spores globose, verruculose, 10–13µ.
Stem 6–10 lines long, 6–10 lines thick.
Sandy soil in pine woods. Quogue. September.
This species is related to Russula delica, but is easily distinguished by its short stem and crowded gills. The pileus also is not shining and the taste is tardily somewhat acrid. From Lactarius exsuccus it is separated by the character of the gills and the very short stem which is about as broad as it is long. The spores also are larger than in that species. The gills in the young plant are sometimes studded with drops of water. They are not clearly decurrent. Some of them are forked at the base. The pileus is but slightly raised above the surface of the ground and is generally soiled by adhering dirt and often marked by rusty or brownish stains. The plants grew in old roads in the woods where the soil had been trodden and compacted. Peck, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, 1882; Pennsylvania, 1887–1894; New Jersey, 1892. Solitary in pine and hemlock woods, generally on bare, compact ground. August to October. McIlvaine.
This species is a sparse grower, but its good size and respectable numbers soon fill the basket. When fresh it is of good substance and flavor.