How to identify Yellow-gilled Russula

To correctly identify Yellow-gilled Russula (Russula ochroleuca), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The cap is typically 5-12 cm in diameter, initially convex, becoming plano-convex to depressed with age. The color ranges from dull yellow, ochre, or straw-yellow to pale brownish-yellow, often darker towards the center. The margin is often striate in older specimens. The cuticle is viscid when wet, but soon dry, and peels about one-third to halfway to the center.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   The gills are adnexed to almost free, crowded to subdistant, and brittle. They are initially pale cream, becoming distinctly pale yellow to ochre-yellow with age. They are often forked near the stem.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem is 4-10 cm long and 1-2.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering towards the base, solid when young, becoming somewhat spongy or hollow with age. It is white, sometimes with a yellowish tinge, and smooth or finely pruinose. It does not have a ring or volva.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh is white, firm, and brittle, not changing color when cut or bruised. It has a mild to slightly acrid taste, especially in the gills.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is a typical agaric (gilled mushroom) with a cap, gills, and a central stem. It is robust and brittle.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Russula ochroleuca is a mycorrhizal fungus, forming symbiotic relationships with the roots of various trees. It is commonly found in both coniferous and deciduous forests, particularly under oak, beech, birch, and pine trees. It prefers acidic to neutral soils.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, viscid when wet, dry otherwise, peels partially.

Growth Form

Solitary to scattered.

Spore Print

Pale cream to pale yellow (IIb-IIIa).

Body color

Cap: dull yellow, ochre; Gills: pale yellow; Stem: white.

Odor

Faint, indistinct.

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise or change color.

Height

4-10 cm

Cap Diameter

5-12 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnexed to almost free.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical or slightly tapering towards the base.
• Stem surface: Smooth or finely pruinose.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid, becoming spongy or hollow with age.

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