Hygrophoraceae
-basidia in most cases more than 5 times as longas width
-‘waxy’ thick gills
-white smooth spores
Hygrophoraceae
Hygrophorus - Medium to large-sizedtricholomatoid with decurrent gills, tramadivergent, with often slimy veil,ectomycorrhizal
Hygrocybe - medium to small-sized mycenoid,trama regular to irregular, saprotroph, oftenbright coloured
Camarophyllus - medium-sized omphaloid,trama regular, saprotroph, subdued colors
Hygrophoraceae
Hygrophorus - Medium to large-sizedtricholomatoid with decurrent gills, tramadivergent, with often slimy veil,ectomycorrhizal
Hygrocybe - medium to small-sized mycenoid,trama regular to irregular, saprotroph, oftenbright coloured
Camarophyllus - medium-sized omphaloid,trama regular, saprotroph, subdued colors
Hygrophoraceae
Hygrophorus - Medium to large-sizedtricholomatoid with decurrent gills, tramadivergent, with often slimy veil,ectomycorrhizal
Hygrocybe - medium to small-sized mycenoid,trama regular to irregular, saprotroph, oftenbright coloured
Camarophyllus - medium-sized omphaloid,trama regular, saprotroph, subdued colors
Characteristics of the familyRussulaceae
• amyloid ornamented spores• "heteromerous" trama (sphaerocysts
present)• laticifer hyphae (that stain dark with
sulphovanilla and form the cystidia)• All species are mycorrhizal
Lactarius
• Latex present• Sphaerocysts usually absent in gill
trama but present in pileus trama
Russula
• Latex absent• Sphaerocysts usually present in gill
trama and pileus trama
Russula characters used toseparate species
• Taste• Spore color• Smell• Color• Bruising• Reaction to Fe salts• Spore ornamentation• Cuticle structure• Lamellae spacing and forking
Russula albonigra
Russula compactae gr.
Large whitish mushroomsOften staining black or red
Russula brevipesRussula dissimulans
Russula cremoricolor
Russula fragilis
Russula emetica gr
White sporesHot acric tasteMostly medium to smallspecies
Russula laurocerasi
Foetens group
All with distinctive smellsMushroom some shade of brown
Russula fragrantissima
Lactarius characters used toseparate species
• taste• Color of latex (fresh and changing)• Color of mushroom• Smell• Spore ornamentation• Pileopellis structure• Lamellae spacing and forking
Tree from Miller et al.2001. showing thatLactarius Hypogeous andgasteroid taxa are derivedmultiple times from withinRussula and Lactarius
Steps in the evolution from amushroom to a false-truffle
• initial mutation arrests sporocarp developmentresulting in “secotioid” or a “gasteroid” form.
• Loss of selection for spore discharge follows -resulting in changes in basidia and spore shape
• Selection for hypogeous fruiting (below ground)• Selection for animal dispersal (odors, flavor?)
Members of the order Russulales
• Polypores: Bondarzewia, Heterobasidion• Hydnoid (toothed) fungi: Auriscalpium,
Hericium• Other gilled fungi: Lentinellus• Resupinate genera: Peniophora,
Gleocystidiellum
Russula and Lactarius
Stereum -polypore-like
Hericium (a tooth fungus)
Heterobasidium and Bondarzewia(polypores)
Auriscalpum (a tooth fungus)
Peniophora (resupinate)
Gloeocystidiellum (resupinate)
The order has contains diverseand convergent morphologiesLarsson and Larsson 2003Tree based
on 25SrRNA genesequences
Peniophora andGloeocystidiellumresupinate wooddecay fungi in theRussulales
Photos fromFungi ofSwitzerland vol 2