Russula ochroleucoides

Appearance

Cap: 4-10 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex to flat, or shallowly depressed; firm and hard, at least when young and fresh; dry; bald or very finely velvety; with maturity often developing a network of cracks and fissures, especially over the center; when young and very fresh bright yellow marginally and pinkish orange centrally--but usually bright yellow to pale or very pale yellow when collected, with pink hints sometimes persisting over the cracked center; the margin not lined; the skin quite adnate and not peeling away easily.

Gills: Broadly attached to the stem; close or nearly crowded; often forked near the stem; short-gills infrequent; white, becoming creamy with age; usually bruising yellowish, then slowly brown to reddish brown; usually developing brownish spots and discolorations with age.

Stem: 2-6 cm long; 1-2 cm thick; more or less equal; bald; whitish; bruising and discoloring yellowish, then slowly brown.

Flesh: White; unchanging when sliced; quite firm when fresh.

Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive, or faintly fragrant; taste usually oily and somewhat bitter or acrid, but occasionally not distinctive in older specimens.

Distribution

Widely distributed in eastern North America.

Habitat

Mycorrhizal with white oak and with beech; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously; summer and fall