Mundane Purple Russula     Section

This is a key to gilled mushrooms, that is, mushrooms having a definite cap with a fertile surface consisting of gills. The fruiting body usually also has a stem, although that may be lateral or absent (usually, then, the mushroom is growing from wood). You can use this key to identify mushrooms that you find.

Flesh without fibers, fracturing with the same sort of break as a piece of chalk
Spore and gill color limited to white, yellow, or ochre
Mycorrhizal: occuring only on the ground, and only when there are trees nearby
No ring or volva on stalk
All fleshy-stemmed mushrooms whose gills exude a latex when cut go here

No latex
Cap usually brighter colored than Lactarius
Stalk usually white or tinged with color of cap

Cap with at least some purple, lilac, vinaceous or magenta coloring

Diagnosis

• Cap color solid, or changing smoothly and universally from center to margin

Narrow down your identification:

• Old or crushed flesh (try sniffing the gills) smell of fish or seafood that's starting to go bad
  
• Flesh stains deep olive green with FeSO4
  
• Stem bruises and ages brown

Cap up to 2" across; purple or vinaceous to dull brick red, soon washing out
Flesh and stem staining and aging yellowish ochre
In wet woodland areas

Lookalikes: Russula cinerascens Stem white, quickly becoming red, then black, when bruised Really Motley Purple Russula     SubSection Gills forking repeatedly Surface often with fine radial anastomosing veins Russula vinacea Cap up to 5" across; vinaceous, darkening to blackish over the disk, often splotched with yellowish ochre; viscid when moist; peeling 1/2-2/3 of the way to the center Stem sometimes rusty spotted at base; often grayish in age Gills cream, often spotted rusty, close, forked near the stem Russula mariae Cap up to 3 1/4" across; often partly or all creamy yellow when young, sometimes also green; with a white bloom; margin striate; peeling 2/3 of the way to the center Stem often flushed pinkish purple Russula sanguinea Cap up to 4" across; deep red or purplish red to pink or almost white; barely peeling at all; striate in age Flesh firm to hard Taste slight to moderately acrid, and sometimes also bitter Under pines

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