R. subdepal´lens Pk.—sub, de and palleo, to be pale. Pileus fleshy, at first convex and striate on the margin, then expanded or centrally depressed and tuberculate-striate on the margin, viscid, blood-red or purplish red, mottled with yellowish spots, becoming paler or almost white with age, often irregular. Flesh fragile, white, becoming cinereous with age, reddish under the cuticle, taste mild. Lamellæ broad, subdistant, adnate, white or whitish, the interspaces venose. Stem stout, solid but spongy within, persistently white.
Spores white, globose, rough, 8µ broad.
Pileus 3–6 in. broad. Stem 1.5–3 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Under a hickory tree. Trexlertown, Pa. June. W. Herbst.
Closely related to Russula depallens, from which it differs in having the margin of the pileus striate at first and more strongly so when mature, also in the pileus being spotted at first, the gills more distant, the stem persistently white and the spores white. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club. Vol. 23, No. 10. October, 1896.
I do not doubt its edibility. See [R. depallens].
R. ochrophyl´la Pk.—ochra, a yellow earth; phyllon, a leaf. Pileus 2–4 in. broad, firm, convex becoming nearly plane or slightly depressed in the center, even or rarely very slightly striate on the margin when old, purple or dark purplish red. Flesh white, purplish under the adnate cuticle, taste mild. Gills entire, a few of them forked at the base, subdistant, adnate, at first yellowish, becoming bright ochraceous buff when mature, dusted by the spores, the interspaces somewhat venose. Stem equal or nearly so, solid or spongy within, reddish or rosy tinted, paler than the pileus. Spores bright ochraceous buff, globose-verruculose, 10µ broad.
The ochery-gilled Russula is a large fine species, but not a common one. It differs but little in color and size from the European pungent Russula, Russula drimeia, but it is easily distinguished from it by its mild taste.
The cap is dry, convex or a little depressed in the center, purple or purplish red, the white flesh purplish under the cuticle, which, however, is not easily separable.
The gills are nearly all entire, extending from the stem to the margin of the cap. They are therefore much closer together near the stem than at the margin. They are at first yellowish, but a bright ochraceous buff when mature. They are then dusted by the similarly colored spores.