Mushroom species of the genus Russula are probably the most maligned and mistreated of all of the members of the Fungi Kingdom.
If the Morel (Morchella esculenta) is the queen of mushrooms and the Cep (Boletus edulis) is the king, then surely the Russula is the knave. Their fragility and dubious culinary merit subject the Russula to sneering contempt even by mycophilic people. Russulas, which are otherwise commendable and attractive mushrooms, are among the most ubiquitous in sylvan habitats, with over 700 species identified worldwide.
Many have a red cap, though there are a wide variety of colors that range from gold to green. Other than the cap color, almost all Russulas have the same basic features: generally stolid and squatty; a cap that is flat to slightly depressed at maturity that is wider in diameter than the height; and a thickset stem that lacks the tell-tale ring of a partial veil, is smooth with no striations, and is for the most part pure white.
